The Game of Life
by Mei-Roun
Summary: Life is a fickle thing. Leslie Burke lost it five years ago to the river; now it's being given back. But there's always a catch in the game of life.
1. Preface

AN: Hey guys! Mei-Roun here. This idea came to me on a whim, and while I'd love to say that it is assuredly my own, I cannot discredit that there may be someone else out there who has already presented such a thought.

I have read the book many times and it is without a doubt one of my favorites; this will, however, be movieverse.

Now, I want to preface this story with the statement that this will not be a purely religious fiction and I am by no means trying to tell you how to think and what to believe. I cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that religion does show up in the book, and I have included concepts I perceived while reading the book and watching the movie. Only the first few chapters will contain religious allusions and I hope that you all can do your best to not let this get in the way of enjoying the fanfiction.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bridge to Terabithia. 

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><p>Paradise. It was supposed to be a perfect place. It was supposed to keep her happy for eternity. She had a palace. She had a kingdom. She had people who loved her. For a few years, this was enough.<p>

But the palace became barren. The kingdom emptied into a ghost town. With each passing day, the beauty she had come to know on Earth dissipated into the desolate wasteland of what once was. As his dreams faded, there were no more thoughts powering the realm. She couldn't help but feel attached to a piece of him; and as he lost hope, her hope drained.

The feelings were not welcome, yet they invaded anyway. She was not supposed to have the capacity for such negative emotion in paradise, but it triumphed over her utopia that once was.

There was another who watched over her. The omnipresent being saw the boy grow and decline as she did; the drugs, the alcohol - they all proved to be just another means of expression. And as the years past, it became known that all potential outcomes of the boy's life would end in untimely and self-induced death.

She was unhappy. As he spiraled farther and farther down into the depths of despair, she was pulled along. It was no longer paradise.

Somewhere in the corner of her mind she heard a question. Did she want to return to the world she used to be a part of? Had it been real? What defined reality? Perhaps she was just losing her mind. The lack of what she loved was sending her to insanity. Maybe she had been there all along.

But in some way the question had been real, and she had unknowingly given an answer.

And so divine intervention would take place. Leslie Burke would return to Lark Creek.

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><p>AN: so this is the first chapter. It's not much, merely an introduction that presents the plot. Future chapters will,, I predict, be significantly longer. Let me know what you think; I'm unsure if this idea is intriguing enough, and feel free to send some ideas my way. (:<p> 


	2. Light

AN: I'm back with the first real chapter of this fic since the last chapter left a bunch of holes.

MadTom: Thanks for the review. Ha, yeah, I regretfully admit that I did not read every single fanfiction. And while I'm sorry to say my idea may have similarities to others, I hope I can make it my own.

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><p>There was a single thought. From that thought developed a group of similar ideas. The ideas paved the way for a stream of consciousness. And then there was light.<p>

It was bright, as dazzling as the light she had first met when she was introduced to paradise. It was nearly blinding which caused an odd reaction. Something was fluttering around her eyes rapidly, disrupting the image that lay in front of her. But as the fluttering died down, the image became clearer, and Leslie found she was staring at a wall that was about six feet away.

The light, she deduced, was coming from somewhere around her. It took a while to turn her head; the action felt different and heavy, and odd experience she wasn't used to.

It seemed to be pooling through a hole and bouncing off the walls around her, and after a moment of disorientation she came to the conclusion that she was on her back. It took some effort to sit up, and she felt lethargic and sluggish. As she did her best to stand in this unfamiliar room, Leslie was reminded of the feeling of swimming; after countless hours of doing tricks in water and suddenly stepping out, one would feel the pull of gravity.

Gravity. Bodies were affected by Earth's force. Did that mean she had a body?

As she continued to gaze around the room, she quickly found out that someone was staring at her. The other looked familiar, although Leslie couldn't recollect why. She tried to ask the girl who she was, but the female only mimicked her lips, and Leslie could hear only her own voice. The other didn't look angry; merely confused, perhaps almost as confused as Leslie felt.

Who was this stranger? Perhaps she was the rightful owner of the body Leslie was in. Fear crept into her soul as she imagined the female across from her leaping out and dragging her from the body she was inside.

But still as Leslie continued to stare at the blonde in front of her, no movement was made. Cautiously she moved forward, and the other did the same. Once in reach her hand slowly came up, and the other apparently had the same idea. Would it be like those science-fiction books she recalled? Would one of them disappear when they touched?

Her hand met a cold solid. The texture was smooth – too smooth for skin, what she had been expecting. But her hand was pressed against the other's. Slowly her hands began feeling, expecting to come in contact with all sorts of textures. Instead, she continued to feel the cool, hard surface. It was like glass. A mirror.

Could this really be her reflection? Had Leslie truly forgotten what she looked like? The long blond hair hung down and retained a bit of frizz, like it hadn't been tamed in a while. Piercing blue eyes continued to stare back at her, then trailed where her vision went. She remembered herself younger. Then again she was also aware that time had passed. Perhaps this really was what she looked like now.

The clothes looked unfamiliar. She seemed to have on green plaid pants and a white top. Hadn't she been wearing royal regalia since she had taken her rightful place as Queen? As she began to ponder the question, Leslie came to the conclusion that she couldn't quite remember what she had worn, if she had worn anything.

But she did remember things. Things like swimming, and science-fiction. Questions were swarming her mind like a plague as she tried to rationally discover what was going on.

A voice intruded upon her time of thinking, but this voice was not recognizable as her own, and it was coming from an exterior source. "Leslie, are you awake dear?" There was a knocking on a closed door that followed the muffled voice, and she turned to the threshold.

It opened then, and a figure stood there, not looking like the first stranger she had encountered. This woman was more identifiable. She knew she had seen her before. "Sweetheart, are you alright?" Her face showed concern, or what Leslie thought was concern.

"Mom?" the sudden realization dawned on her, and she held a look of awe. It had been years since her mother could see her, and then she and her father had left. Yes, she was remembering. But why was she here now?

Before getting an affirmative Leslie did something she hadn't expected herself to do. She was hugging her mother. Her mother also seemed shocked, for it took a moment to respond accordingly. "Leslie, are you alright?" The concern wasn't wavering, and it puzzled Leslie.

"I thought I'd never see you again. Not for a long time, at least," she found herself responding, burying her face in the woman's shoulder. Taking a deep breath brought back a familiar scent. It was comforting, something she knew she remembered.

"Never see me again? Why would you think that?" The response had obviously startled the woman, but she was laughing in her own retort.

Leslie was deeply troubled. Didn't her mother realize she had been gone for years? Why was she acting as though Leslie had been around all this time?

_Because you have. To them, at least. _It was a voice in her head that was different than her own, but there was still an air of familiarity.

What did it mean though? Leslie knew that she had been away. And yet as her mother patiently waited for an answer, she got the feeling as though she was, perhaps, the only one that knew it.

"I...was gone," she began, struggling through the words, "and then you and dad left..."

Her mother's eyebrows furrowed. "Honey we just moved in here yesterday, we haven't left you. Have you been eating chocolate before bed again? You know how that gives you nightmares," the tone, Leslie identified, was gentle yet reprimanding.

Here. Where, exactly, was here? She turned back to observe the room she was in. She had been here before. And the hole where the light came from-the window, Leslie figured out-looked out over a road she had seen before.

"You ought to get ready for school, Les. Don't want to be late the first day, do you?" her mother then added with a lightheartedness she had missed, before retreating from the room and allowing the girl her privacy once more.

School. She would attend school? As Leslie tried to fit the pieces together, she absentmindedly began going through the drawers in her room, looking for something she could wear. Apparently what she had on wasn't suitable.

After a bit of perusing the clothes she surmised were her own, she managed to come across some navy shorts, a light turquoise top, a red belt, and some bright shoes that laced up rather high. Seeing as she lacked knowledge related to clothing and fashion, she figured what she had picked would suffice.

As time progressed it felt as though things were coming back to her. She knew how to tie shoes, she knew she needed a brush to fix her hair, and she knew she was most assuredly alive. It seemed as though any questions pertaining to how and why wouldn't be answered though. From what she could tell, her mother really didn't have any clue about her absence.

Was she presentable enough? Leslie seemed to be faced with constant questions. As she made her way down the staircase she vaguely remembered, there was a low rumble from outside and she caught a glimpse of a rather worn truck making its way down the same road her room looked down upon. Her stomach chimed in with a rumble of its own. Hunger was an odd sensation, something that she hadn't felt in quite some time; and it definitely felt like it had been a long time since she had eaten last.

It wasn't hard to find the kitchen; all she had to do was follow her nose. The table didn't disappoint either; there was a feast upon it, a feast fit for a queen. "This smells amazing," she mumbled, and out of the corner of her eye Leslie saw her mother visibly relax, as if she had been concerned with her behavior from earlier.

Fruits of all kinds decorated the plate with beautifully made pancakes, and on a smaller plate she recognized bacon, sausage, and ham.

"Are you trying to feed an army?" Leslie laughed softly, not being able to help herself.

"Just a teenager," her father responded, and the three of them fell to laughter. This was nice.

This felt like home.

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><p>AN: This one is still short, but I really wanted to get something up to give a better idea of the story. Hope I didn't disappoint!<p> 


	3. Trial

AN: Geez, it's been a while. Sorry for the delay; between college and a work intensive job, I haven't had much time to update. Again, thanks for the reviews, I do hope I won't disappoint any of you.

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><p>Having breakfast at the table with her parents who she hadn't seen in what felt like centuries was nice. Yes, nice was a good word. She could use nice.<p>

Leslie had to be careful with her words. While this was all still a confusing, new experience, these people she identified as her parents were under the impression that she hadn't died. That alone meant that she, in this world, had lived the past five years on Earth, which was hard to think about since in her mind, she had been dead.

It seemed though as time progressed, she remembered little bits and pieces of the missing memory. There were certainly still huge holes, but perhaps time would help fill them. That, or she'd slowly get information through her parents.

This precious time of relaxing came to an abrupt halt as she was told it was time to get to school. "We're going a bit early today, since we have to fill out a few forms first," her father had said as they began picking up the various dishes and cleaning the mess of the meal up.

School? She hadn't even thought about it. Obviously she was older now, which meant she wouldn't be returning to fifth grade courses. A small bubble of fear rose in her stomach at the thought of being incompetent. She wouldn't know any of the material. What if she failed? It was a terrifying thought for the girl who used to always succeed.

Trying her hardest to push the nerves away, she followed her father out of the house and to a sporty and sleek black Lexus. Oh right. They had money, didn't they? Looking back on the house she had just exited confirmed the question. It had more of a manor feel, and while there were places that appeared to be a bit run down, it certainly couldn't qualify for being shabby and lower end.

_Wait. This looks familiar._

She had seen this place before, and something told her it wasn't one of those renegade memories from the missing five years of her life. No, this had to be something from the life she remembered.

_This...this is Lark Creek, isn't it?_

It had been a long time since she had been in Lark Creek-the real portion of it, that was. As her eyes drifted back to the various trees, things began to fall in place. This was where it happened. This was where she had died.

A cold chill ran down her spine as she eyed through the thicket. No, she couldn't see it from there, but she knew there was a severed rope somewhere deep in the forest. The sound of a car roughly broke her fixation and she jumped slightly, turning her back to the childhood fantasy world.

"Sorry we're not letting you drive today. We have to get you a parking pass at school and none of us really know the place well so we thought it would be best if I took you. But at least we took your mother's car, right?" her father cracked a crooked grin as they began the smooth drive down the road.

She could drive? This was definitely something she had missed. Well, at least this hadn't been her car. Sure, it looked wonderful and she thought it was comfortable too, but she wasn't one for spending that much money on anything. And, Lexus was definitely luxury. As they continued on their journey to the school, Leslie silently prayed that her car wasn't the same price of a small house. That wasn't how she wanted to be recognized.

As her eyes drifted out the window, her gaze was met with flat, rural land. They passed by someone selling roses on the side of the road. And over there was a fruit stand. Yes, this seemed familiar.

The drive wasn't too terribly long, all things considered. Time wasn't what Leslie was focused on though. No, she couldn't take her eyes off the huge building in front of her. Had her last school been this large? _No, you were in the elementary school, remember? This is high school._ Intimidating was an understatement.

There was a lot more traffic, and the majority of it came from student drivers, or so she guessed. Just to the right of the school there was a large parking lot that seemed to be the center of ruckus, which had to be the student lot. Fortunately they were allowed to park in a visitor spot, which was in a completely separate lot.

Even as she stepped out of the car with her father, she couldn't help but continue to take in her surroundings. It certainly was a nice school, no doubt recently built – or remodeled at the very least. Subconsciously she pulled the bag on her shoulder closer to her body as she walked past various groups of teenagers and into the large doors of the school.

The office was at the front of the school thankfully. At least if she got lost she'd know where the office was. Meekly following her father inside, she exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Was she supposed to be this scared of school? Maybe if she actually remembered things it wouldn't be as nerve-wracking.

At that moment she tuned in to the conversation taking place with the receptionist and her father. "Ahh, Miss Burke. Yes, we've got your transcript right here, here's the form you need to sign, and here's your schedule dear." A few papers were thrust promptly into her hands and she looked down at them blankly for a moment, before looking up to see her father was also signing a few papers. She quickly pulled the one out that required her signature and signed it, before taking a look at the foreign schedule. Calculus, Physics, college English, European History...did she know any of this? She must have been smart if she felt she could take on this workload.

First period was track. Well at least she had some sense in that convoluted brain of hers. "Umm, Miss...Hodges? Where would I find Coach...Giles?" She took a few pauses in reading the unknown names before looking back at the older woman.

"Oh, just go right out of the office and follow the hall to the door. You'll see the track once you get outside." She was nice. Leslie would have to remember to ask this Hodges woman more questions should she have them. But for now, she figured she couldn't procrastinate class any longer.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later, dad..." there was apprehension in her voice as she realized she'd be parting with the only person who could provide her comfort and she'd be taking on this journey alone.

"Bye pum-I mean Leslie," he caught himself from probably saying an embarrassing nickname, Leslie surmised, "I'll be out front to pick you up today, and I'll take the parking sticker and put it on your car for you so you can drive yourself from now on." He seemed to hesitate, pausing to think about showing affection, but he obviously thought against it and walked out. That seemed to be her cue; after watching her father leave and feeling the dread in her stomach swell, she took the instructions from the kind secretary and trekked outside to find this alleged Giles.

As Leslie exited the side of the school, she saw a number of things. First were the tennis courts. Then there was the football field. And then she noticed that there was a track surrounding it, where a few people looked to be gathered. Hoping her intuition was right, she promptly made her way over, trying not to let her fears get the best of her.

"So nice of you to join us, Walker. Go stretch with the rest of them. That means you too, Fulcher! What, am I speaking Swedish?" The lady yelling. She had to be Coach Giles. Leslie mustered all the courage she had and approached, in spite of her better judgment.

"Coach Giles? I was wondering-" Leslie was brusquely cut off though, and the woman hadn't even turned around to face her.

"Coach Martin is inside Gym A with the rest of the volleyball team. Conditioning ends at seven thirty on the dot." Volleyball? No, that wasn't what she was looking for. Why did this woman think she was looking for the volleyball team?

"Um, actually Coach, I'm Leslie Burke, I'm a new student and I was put into this period for track," Leslie supplied, a bit more confident than before. This time, the woman actually took her eyes off the guys a few meters away stretching to look Leslie right in the eye.

"Well, Miss Burke, I hate to say that you've been misinformed. We don't have female runners, which means there isn't a class period for you to be in since you couldn't run with guys. You're tall though. I'm sure you could go talk to Martin about trying out for the Volleyball team."

That was all she got. The coach turned away from her then, obviously believing that she said enough to shut Leslie up. Her attention then turned to the guys on the track, getting ready for what looked like a run. And did one of them look familiar? No, it was too hard to tell from where she was.

This was it. She had a window of opportunity to prove herself to this coach. Could she run with the guys? Well, she'd definitely look like an idiot if her plan backfired. But she wasn't about to lose the chance to do what she loved. She wasn't even in any running outfit, just what she had worn to school. But as the coach blew the whistle, her bag slid from her shoulder and she took off, ignoring the coach's protests.

The first thing she noticed was that she was definitely faster than she remembered. Maybe it was because her legs were longer? Perhaps. But as she reached the track in only a few strides and began closing the gap between she and the others who had a head start, she realized that maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

All she had to think about was running to prove she was capable of more than the Coach gave her credit for. One by one she started passing the guys, who all seemed stunned as she moved forward. She could hear their protests as well, but ignored them. No, her eyes were set on passing them all, beating them and proving she could run with them on a daily basis.

And then there were two. There was only one figure ahead of her that came between her and finishing first. Her eyes locked on the back of his brown head, pushing herself as hard as she could. The gap was closing. She was beside him. Out of her peripheral vision she caught a glimpse of his dumbfounded face, followed by sheer determination. He was putting up a struggle, apparently not willing to give up to a girl so easily. And then she pulled out on top, leaving the last stunned male behind as she crossed the lap marker.

The coach, she noted, was staring at her hard. Her mouth opened a few times and closed, not knowing what she should say. As Leslie slowed, ignoring the guys behind her who were unashamedly talking about what just happened, she approached the woman with hesitation. Would she get in trouble for what she just did? She sure hoped not.

"Burke, I expect you to wear athletic clothes tomorrow if you wish to participate, no more stunts like today." It was an offhanded remark, so blasé that Leslie could have sworn it didn't just happen. But it did. The coach had changed her mind. Maybe school wasn't going to be quite as bad after all.


	4. Error

AN: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad I have some loyal readers. I guess this is the first chapter told in a different point of view. I focused the story about Leslie to begin with since she has recollection of her previous life as well as returning to this warped reality, but I think that every now and then it'll be nice to switch things up a bit. Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!

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><p>There were a few things Jesse Aarons was sure of.<p>

One: He had brains in his head and feet in his shoes. He could thank Dr. Seuss for that one. Seriously, was that the _only_ book Maybelle wanted for a bed time story when she was younger?

Two: He wasn't well to do. Classmates crudely put it in the term 'poor,' which wasn't exactly true. But, Jess was aware that he didn't have as much as other kids did and he knew what the value of a dollar was. He caught grief from his parents when they were struggling, and he felt like royalty when things were looking up. Of course, that was putting it in his perspective; his father ignoring his existence was far from aristocracy, but it was better than being yelled at and working overtime. All in all, Jess was alive and well. That was the important thing, right?

Three: He was practically nonexistent. When he was growing up, his older sisters would ignore him or he'd be the center of their mockery. It was the same at school too. For the most part people didn't pay attention to Jess, or they'd pick on him. There wasn't a middle ground. Jess didn't have friends, other than his little sister who was annoying as hell. Besides, Jess wasn't the 'Barbie' type. His father often ignored him too. It was rare to get praise from Jack Aarons. Sure, Jess work in his father's store. Some could say he did more work there than Jack, since Jack was always making house calls and installing hardware. But Jess never got a 'thanks' or even a 'you did good, kid.' It was usually a grunt and a bob of the head that signified Jack Aarons was pleased with his son, and he'd take it.

Four: He just got beat by a girl. Jesse Aarons, the fastest kid in school, the senior guy who raked in the medals at track meets, just got beat. By. A. Girl. He lost track of how many times his head had to reiterate the statement to convince him that it did, indeed, just happen. Where had things gone wrong?

His morning had been normal. He got up early as per usual to do his daily chores, like milking their cow Bessie and getting eggs from the chicken coop. He also made sure to clean up afterward, lest he catch complaints about his hygiene. He joined his parents and two younger sisters for a silent breakfast, the only noises being Joyce Ann playing with her food. Really, she was nearly seven and she couldn't eat without making a mess? Of course his parents thought it was cute. Well, his mom did. His dad just gave his signature grunt, but didn't complain, which meant he didn't mind it. If there was anything Jack Aarons minded, you'd hear about it.

Jess always had to get an early start to school since he had to drop May Belle off. Their ride in the old truck would mainly consist of the girl animatedly talking about nothing. At least that was what Jess thought. He pretty much tuned her out. Sometimes it was about makeup, sometimes clothes, and – worst of all, according to Jess – sometimes boys. Actually, she talked about boys a lot. He would cringe and do his best to ignore her. The last thing Jess ever wanted to think about was some punk preteen macking on _his_ little sister.

The area they lived in was rather secluded in comparison to the rest of Lark Creek. As the low rumble of the truck helped tune out his sister, he noticed her attention drawn to something outside. His gaze followed, and he realized they were looking at the old Perkins' place.

"Hey, Jess look! It looks like someone's moved in there. I wonder if they have any girls...or boys..."

Again with the boys, so Jess tuned her out. But she had been right. There were cars in the drive. Nice ones, too. And one of them was a classic, which immediately caught his eye. It was weird that anyone would move in to the old Perkins' place. It was so far from town, and definitely antique in its nature. Jess wasn't one to judge though, and didn't pay any more thought to it.

Dropping May Belle off was pretty painless. She always wanted to get out as fast as she could to go spend time with her friends. With that done, all he had to do was drive to his school which was only about five minutes away. Traffic at the high school was terrible though. Maybe he was being a hypocrite, but the other drivers of his age were awful, and the worst part was that they knew it and didn't really care.

Things had been pretty uneventful from the time he parked in the student lot to getting to the locker room to dress out for track. A few comments from Hoager and Fulcher here and there, but nothing serious. Jess wasn't really sure when it happened, his befriending of the former bullies. Maybe it was when Jess got bigger than them and punched Hoager in the face. Yeah, that had to be it. Hoager still made rude comments, but it was more of a friendly teasing. Jess could tell that they were both careful not to actually piss him off. After all, he was around six feet and had developed muscle from working with his father. He could do some damage, and they weren't complete idiots. Most of the time.

Truth be told, Jess really didn't know why they were in track anyway. Hoager was alright, and sometimes placed in races, but Fulcher was far too bulky and short and would have excelled in football. Maybe they would have separation anxiety or something.

Warm-up had been average. A kid named Ken Walker showed up late and Coach yelled at him. And then Fulcher wasn't warming up, and when she called him out on it he must have given her a stupid expression or something because she made some comment about speaking Swedish. And then Jess noticed there was some blond girl beside coach Giles. And she looked weird. Good weird? Maybe. Her outfit was definitely unique, but she kind of looked good in it.

Oh God. He was starting to sound like May Belle.

Deciding the blond girl wasn't about to distract him any longer, he turned his attention back to his stretching and preparation. It was a known fact that Jesse Aarons was undefeated when it came to running, at their school at least. There had been a few times at meets when he was second or third, but as far as class went, he always won the unspoken competitions.

They were getting ready. He heard Hoager sniggering about something, but he wasn't about to even try to figure out that guy's mind. And then he heard the whistle, and Jess took off like a rocket.

He was out in front. That was how they usually broke. From time to time a few of the runners would test his ability, which caused more adrenaline to surge through Jess and push him to the edge, giving him enough to maintain first. As he was running the track though, Jess couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. His usual competition wasn't there. And as he rounded a turn and glanced at the other side, he noticed some of the guys barely jogging, stunned expressions on their faces. What was that about?

The answer came abruptly when Jess caught sight of blond in his vision. It was that girl, and she was beside him, running. Momentarily dazed, something in his head triggered a familiarity about this scene. But reality hit him hard, and he realized that he was about to lose to this new girl. It took all his might to push himself even further, and for a while they were at a matched pace. And then he was looking at the back of her head, getting a good view of those wavy locks.

Jess seemed to be in a bit of a haze, along with the rest of the guys. Hoager's voice cut through the fog, jolting him out of the dreamland.

"She's kind of cute when she runs, isn't she?" His eyes were downcast as he was still watching the girl jog back to the coach, and Jess let out a noise of disgust as he got the meaning. "Oh, come on Aarons. So you got beat by a girl. It's not like she's going to be racing against you at meets and stuff. Besides, having a girl in this period will make things...interesting." The smirk was evident in Scott's tone as he made his way beside Jess, but Jess gave him the cold shoulder and continued in all his sulking glory. Apparently Hoager had been paying more attention to the exchanges between the new girl and the coach. _Figures he'd pay attention to a girl,_ Jess thought to himself sourly.

The rest of the period was uneventful. The new girl – he didn't bother to learn her name – sat on the grass, doodling God-knew-what in that stupid notebook of hers. Maybe he'd have been interested if she hadn't trampled over what little ego he had left. What probably bothered him the most though was that every once in a while she'd be looking at him. Not at anyone else, just him. And the look on her face...she looked like she understood - not only what happened, but everything. One look and she could see his darkest secrets painted on his face, or read his emotions and understand. It freaked him out.

Thankfully track was over and Jess could move on with his life and forget about the new girl. By the end of his second class, pre-calculus, he had all but forgotten her. And in the hour it took to get rid of her from his mind, it only took one second for her to show back up, like some plague. There she was, plain as day, in his European history class. As he took his inconspicuous seat in the middle of the room, he began silently praying that she wouldn't sit within a five foot radius.

Apparently, some divine being had other plans.

Mr. Warner had instructed her to take a seat on Jess's right side, apparently the only available seat in the class. At least he didn't have to talk to her. Some others around them had already done that, and they were already making friends with this she-devil. It was then he put his tuning-out skills to use. At least May Belle did come in handy some times.

As it turned out, Jess's bad day had only just gotten started. He came to find he also had English class with the new girl, and he inadvertently learned that the reason he didn't have math or science with her was because she was smarter than him and opted to take more difficult classes. Not only had she trampled his ego, she tore his intellect to shreds. Oh, and apparently she was rich.

Just great.


	5. Adjust

AN: Sorry it has taken a while to update guys! College has eaten me. Being an art major is excruciatingly difficult. Anyway, I'm shifting back to focusing on Leslie, but I may go back and forth throughout the fic. Let me know what you guys think!

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><p>She thought school wasn't going to be that bad. It didn't take long for Leslie to realize she was sorely mistaken. Who was it that said history often repeated itself? She couldn't remember for the life of her, but it definitely applied to her current predicament. Caught up in her act of acceptance Leslie had neglected to identify the guy she had outrun until the aftermath. As she had turned to look back at the male who was now the subject of taunts and jests – no doubt undermining his running ability due to the fact he was beat by a girl – she was met with the all too familiar face of a very much alive Jesse Aarons. Her first instinct had been to leap into his arms in a dramatic fashion, signifying the reuniting of best friends. The notion was squelched as she caught that horrid glare she had familiarized herself with from the first time she had seen and outrun him in the fifth grade.<p>

It was at that precise moment that time seemed to stand still. An overwhelming wave of emotions crashed into Leslie and it was all she could do to keep a straight face. In the life she knew before this, Jess had been her only best friend. He was the other half to their world; the one person who helped her create a beautiful place and get through life on a daily basis. In death, he was the human that emotionally tied her down to earth. She had underestimated their bond during the short period they had together and as such she was weighed down by all his negative emotions. She had suffered in their world just as he had, and she had been the one to save him from suicide. It had felt like an eternity had gone by since she had last been in his presence, really there with him – and he hated her. The fire of his gaze made her shift and look away, hiding the sorrow that filled her porcelain features.

The rest of the class went by agonizingly slow. She had to sit on the field and preoccupy herself due to her lack of athletic clothes, which wouldn't have been difficult if she could have blocked out her thoughts. The floodgates had been opened; every little doodle that ended up in her notebook had uncanny resemblance to the life she was missing. Nothing she drew could be near the quality she remembered Jess could produce, but when all was said and done, the sketch nearly brought tears to her eyes – and Leslie Burke did not cry. It was a familiar scene in her imagination: there she stood, her face clear as day, fighting off a Squoger as PT aided the masculine figure with a hidden face. They were in the forest of Teribithia-the one she remembered-and they both had crowns.

Realizing the act of reminiscing on that time would do nothing but dredge up sad memories she quickly shut the notebook, just in time to lock eyes with Jess once more. It was then she saw something different, something that was harder to place. Was it confusion? Perhaps it was only a reaction from the fact that her face was undoubtedly covered with a multitude of emotions. Try as she might, it was impossible for her to break away from his heated gaze and she was grateful when someone blocked her view.

Physics was next. While she wouldn't have considered it before, she was glad she had a reprieve from those hazel eyes that conveyed hatred and wariness. A world in which Jesse Aarons didn't know Leslie Burke existed, much less hated every fiber of her being, was taking its toll on the young woman. This, she wryly thought to herself, must have been the one and only catch. It all made sense now, albeit in a sick and depressing way. Leslie existed because she never moved to Lark Creek when she was ten. By not moving to Lark Creek, she didn't die in an untimely manner, and never met Jess.

Somehow, she miraculously didn't get lost in trying to find her Physics classroom. It took a moment for her to cautiously enter, before approaching the teacher who was organizing papers on his desk. Unlike her prior encounter with Coach Giles, this man seemed much friendlier, which caused Leslie to visibly relax. It also helped that he instantly acknowledged her existence, unlike the coach before. In fact, he started speaking before she even formulated what she wanted to say in her head. "Ah! You must be Leslie Burke," he greeted her with a brilliant smile, and in turn she smiled as well. She couldn't help but notice that he had a striking resemblance to a lumberjack; he was a rather large man with an unruly beard that was accentuated by the dazzling grin that never quite left his face.

"Yes sir," Leslie replied softly, taking a moment to look around the room. Tables were pushed together in near disarray, abandoning the traditional and formal arrangement. One corner was piled up with various objects - some of which looked more like toys than actual science equipment. There were some science posters on the wall, along with posters that had no relation to school. There were a few different couches up front, all facing the board and his desk. In some ways it looked like a tornado hit the room; and Leslie loved it.

"Well we'll just have to find you a seat then, won't we?" His bright eyes then scanned around the room, watching the other students casually settle in to their supposed seats. "Class! We have a new student today and we need to find her a seat. Who has an open spot at their table?" Slowly Leslie observed the students around her with some apprehension. What if no one volunteered for her to sit by them?

Her bated breath was released as a few students raised their hands. "We have a seat here, Mr. Otman," a lanky male responded, which was followed by nods from the rest of the group.

"Wonderful! Leslie, go ahead and take a seat. I'll have a syllabus for you by the end of class." With a reassuring smile from the teacher Leslie walked to the cluster of tables close to the front. Tentatively she sat down in the open seat next to a brunette and the lanky male from before, who took no time to introduce himself.

"Hey, I'm Ben, this is Arjun, Cassie, and Garrett." Each gave a wave at the appropriate time, and they all wore smiles. It was strange; Leslie wasn't used to being received so well, especially after what had just happened on the track.

"I'm Leslie Burke," she responded with her own soft smile, pulling out her notebook and a pencil.

"Wait, Leslie Burke, as in the daughter of Bill and Judy Burke, the famous authors?" This time it was the small Indian male she had come to know as Arjun, and fought back the urge to roll her eyes. Were her parents really that famous? She couldn't remember. It seemed a bit strange that they would be, but she had to remember that she was in an upper level class with a bunch of people who were most likely avid readers.

"That would be me," she finally replied, laughing a little. They continued on for a little bit until Mr. Otman finally stood up from his desk and began speaking with his projecting voice.

"OK, everyone gather your rockets and let's head outside!" He led the way by walking out of the room with a rolling chair, followed quickly by the rest of the students with rockets of various sizes and their notebooks. Not knowing what to bring she grabbed her own notebook and followed her tablemates. This time it was Cassie who saved the day.

"Every year he gives his students a chance to build their own rockets and launch them. If anyone can do the calculations to hit him, he gives them extra credit. No one had been able to successfully hit him though," she explained, earning another laugh from Leslie. "And before you ask, he's always like this. Probably one of the best teachers ever, in my opinion."

They were back outside again, and just as Cassie had explained, Mr. Otman had taken a seat in the middle of the field. The rest of the students lined up, all looking at their notebooks, before one by one they launched their rockets. A few rockets landed way past the teacher, some landed too short, and a few people managed to get really close. The closest, she noted, was from Arjun, who managed to hit the arm of the chair. He began dancing around which earned a good few laughs. As soon as everyone was finished, Mr. Otman declared Arjun the winner and gave him a few extra points. "Great work, class. Let's get back inside and work on our homework."

Once they had returned to the welcoming classroom people began moving. Some gathered at the workstations, some moved to the couches, and others remained at their desks. The others at her table had been one of the groups to get up and move over to the couch, and she looked down, remaining in her seat. What if they didn't want her to follow? That thought was put to rest though as Ben abruptly turned around to her. "Leslie, you coming?"

A smile filled her face once more as she followed, settling into the large blue couch. They all began pulling out sheets of paper, and Garrett, who she was beside, started talking. "All the homework assignments are online, and you get a few weeks to work on them. Everyone has the same problems, but different numbers." He held out the packet to her, and she took it, flipping through the problems. _If Tarzan is trying to swing on a vine from one cliff to another and – _wait, Tarzan? She began reading some of the others and found that each one was rather absurd in its own way.

This was definitely going to be a fun class.

The rest of the class passed by fast with Leslie actually helping some of the others on the problems. She had no idea she knew Physics, but for some reason it seemed to just come naturally. Truth be told, Leslie had been having so much fun with her class friends that she had all but forgotten about the prior encounter with one Jess Aarons. Unfortunately it didn't take long for him to come back into her life.

Her next class was European History with Mr. Warner. As she entered and politely introduced herself, she was instructed to sit in the middle of the class. Right beside Jess. She thanked the teacher before wordlessly taking her seat. Jess was to her left, and she willed herself never to look in his direction. She could still feel that glare and she really didn't want to see it again. Thankfully the female to her right boldly introduced herself as Abby, and they were able to have a nice conversation before the class started. A few others had joined in, and Leslie was glad that she was able to have acquaintances in her first two classes.

She came to know that Sarah, the girl in front of Abby, had English with her, which took her mind off the fact that Jess happened to be in that class too. Sarah had also warned her that their English teacher was a 'bitch from hell.' While Leslie was not partial to such vulgar language, she couldn't help but notice the woman's frosty attitude, especially when handing back essays.

"About half the class wrote completely off-topic. I expect more from you. Now, you'll have time later to look over these and come talk to me if you want. For now, take everything off your desks except for a pen. We're taking the test over The Poisonwood Bible. Leslie, since you're new I'll give you two weeks to read and annotate the novel and prepare for a test which will not be the same as what I hand out today." Overall she seemed rather apathetic and blunt. It didn't particularly bother her that some of her students weren't doing well, which made Leslie anxious. What if she didn't succeed? Obviously this teacher wasn't about to go out of her way to help her.

She really didn't know what compelled her at that moment, but before she could stop herself, she opened her big mouth. "I'll take the test. I'm familiar with the novel." Everyone seemed to be staring at her. Had she been able to, she would have as well. She had no idea what that book was about! She hadn't even heard the name before in her life. Well, what she remembered of it, anyway. But the ice queen Mrs. Mayes had already pulled one more test from the stack and cautiously placed it in front of Leslie. "Well, alright then. You have until the end of the class period."

Was her hand shaking? She couldn't tell. Her eyes were glued to the test in front of her, hoping, praying for some miracle. But as she began reading the questions with trepidation, she realized that something in her head was bringing forward information she had no idea she knew. Had she read this book? Perhaps. It was becoming more convincing with each question as she seemed to answer them with ease, like the answers had been there the whole time.

Leslie flew through the test and finished with time to spare. Mayes seemed to give her a strange look as she handed it in, and as Leslie sat back down in her seat near the front, the teacher began reading through her test, ready to laugh in her face. But the look on the teacher's face was priceless, and Leslie knew then and there she had done well.


	6. Introductions

**AN:** Sorry it's taken so long! Between losing my computer to viruses and losing my stages of the next chapter, I have gone through a bout of simply not wanting to complete this story. Don't get me wrong – I enjoy writing it, however I'm still unclear of the direction I want to take. Have anything in particular you want to see? Shoot me a message or leave it in a review, I'll do my best to look over suggestions and keep you guys happy. So here you are, I hope I haven't disappointed!

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><p>Lunch was a mysterious circumstance for one Jesse Oliver Aarons. For starters, the concept of 'homeroom tables' or any of that mumbo jumbo was abandoned at the high school in favor of allowing students to choose where they wanted to sit and, more importantly, who they wanted to sit with. Gone were the days of spending lunch with your parents and inviting a friend to sit with you at the "visitor's table;" then again, as Jess painstakingly remembered, neither of his parents were ever keen on dropping by to spend the lunch time with him in his younger years.<p>

The term "friendship" was particularly an odd one in Jess's book. He didn't recognize the guys he sat with as friends – more commonly, they were known as teammates. Hell, if Hoager and Fulcher weren't smaller than him, he'd still be the brunt of everyone's jests. It was most likely a precarious position that Jess found himself in daily, having to spend so much time with the former bullies, but all in all he was able to at least somewhat enjoy himself when he was around them. And really, who else was he going to sit with?

Today was just a bad day and consistently getting worse for him. That new Leslie girl was proving to be a true rival. She was faster than him and, he grudgingly noted, significantly smarter. It was unfathomable how she simply showed up to her first English class and elected to take the test like it was no big deal. She obviously had a stick shoved so far up her – well, to put it plainly she must have been too arrogant to understand just how hard Mayes was. He thought Monstermouth Meyers was difficult, but she was an angel in comparison.

Now he couldn't even sulk over his cheap cafeteria meal, because lo and behold she was only sitting a table away with all those smart kids. It was sick, how they were practically doting on her like she was some sort of celebrity. And their conversations, how they were filled with intellect that he imagined his "puny little brain" as the smart kids liked to point out wouldn't be able to comprehend. There was no hiding the fact that Hoager, Fulcher, and most of the athletic kids caught grief from those geeks. Truthfully Jess loved the insults the smart kids would throw because they would go right over Hoager's and Fulcher's heads. Jess was smarter than most gave him credit for, and when no one was looking he'd often laugh at the blatant insults that were inexplicably true. It was a miracle Hoager and Fulcher had made it this far in education, let alone graduate at the end of the year.

As per usual, Jess was pretty much ostracized by means of the conversation taking place at his table. They were talking about girls, or cars, or girls in cars – something along those lines of nonsense that seemed to be the popular topic on a regular basis. Every once in a while a comment would be made about Jesse's experience in relationships – or, rather, lack thereof – but they were mostly said in a lighthearted and joking manner. Needless to say, most conversations Jess simply couldn't participate in because of his lack of experience. Not that he particularly minded; Jess hadn't ever felt compelled to be in any sort of relationship, be it casual or formal.

Finding nothing better to do, Jess settled on secretly scrutinizing New Girl. Why was she so special anyway? Sure, she was pretty and yeah, she was smart, and maybe she was athletic and...shit. He couldn't let his train of thought go there. No, he had to find something to hate about her, and fast. Fortunately – or, perhaps, unfortunately – Hoager noticed Jess's lack of participation and, moreover, lack of attention to his comrades. When he caught sight of Jess watching the blond he smirked and laughed, shaking Jess from his stupor.

"I get that she's hot Aarons but you gotta understand that she's been abducted by the geek squad already." Hoager was quite loud, and there was no doubt in Jess's mind that it was an intentional ploy to anger the table that was so close to them. Fighting down the embarrassed red that threatened to color his face, he rolled his eyes and did his best to avoid the stare from everyone, including the blond in question, who was now looking in his direction.

"Aw, don't be so bitter Hoager. You can't help it that your intellectual capacity is smaller than a flea." Some guy – was his name Garrett? Yeah, maybe – shot back instantly, earning a respectable "huh?" from Hoager, thus proving the point. The rest of the smart table started laughing, no doubt at some inside joke or some smart comment that he couldn't hear, but New Girl wasn't laughing. Not one bit. She kind of looked uncomfortable and politely excused herself, ignoring the blatant cat-calls from his own table.

Jess thought about getting up and following her for a brief second. One teensy moment, he actually considered going to check on her to see if she was alright.

But, of course, he chickened out, and instead proceeded to ignore everyone. That didn't, however, mean that he felt a bit of guilt somewhere deep inside him. And much to his chagrin, he couldn't explain why, even as the school day ended, that he felt like he should have talked to her.

Time after school was usually spent working. Often May Belle would get a ride home from Madison, or she'd just take the bus – leaving Jess the opportunity to go straight to the hardware store. Work there was hardly something he could call strenuous, and usually served as a nice break from his home life which wasn't ever something he could brag about. It wasn't exactly the peace and quiet that he wanted, but it was definitely an escape and Jess figured he couldn't complain.

It really shouldn't have come to him as a surprise when that stupid perfect blond demon walked through the door, other that the fact that the girl was severely out of place. Usually Jess wasn't one to deliberately be mean to anyone, much less a girl; however, her intrusion of his workplace was, in essence, the last straw. Being the only worker in there, he stopped stocking the shelves and made his way over to her. "That makeup store, Sephra or whatever, is actually next door." It wasn't snide, but the tone was far from warm. He had started to turn around and go back to his previous work but she stopped him.

"Actually, I'm here to place an order for some lumber. But if you need me to run next door and get you something, I suppose I could do that." He turned back to see her arms folded across her chest and an eyebrow quirked up in a challenging manner. Not able to come up with a good comeback, he sighed and made his way to the counter, pulling out the papers she would have to sign. She began writing in various things with her too-clean handwriting then, and he watched curiously.

"Do you know what you're looking for, exactly?" he dared to ask, but she continued to write, not bothering to meet his eye as she began talking.

"We're rebuilding a deck at the house we just moved in to. Based on the plan my father and I came up with, I need cedar planks for the flooring and cypress for the rails." She paused then, finally looking up and meeting his gaze. "Oh, sorry, was that supposed to be your job? I mean, I am just a girl after all. What do I know about building?"

Jess wasn't an idiot. He could tell that his previous remark about makeup was taken as a sexist comment. And to be frank, even Jess couldn't defend himself on this one. No, he didn't have to like her, but that also didn't give him good reason to say anything rude. He was just working up an apology when he took note that she was already out the door, the papers neatly stacked in front of him. For the second time that day he forced down the regret and guilt as he picked up the papers, casually reading. He didn't get too far though when his eyes stopped at the address she listed. But that was the old Perkins place...and then he remembered earlier that morning when May Belle had pointed out that someone had recently moved in to that house.

Of course she had to live on the same street. Clearly whoever was up there was having a fun time messing with him.

The next day proved to be just as long and uneventful. New Girl made herself practically non-existent, and it didn't take too long for Jess to figure out that she was most likely avoiding him. He didn't care. He really didn't. It was just a shame that he couldn't fully convince himself of that.

After school held a similar pattern, although this time New Girl walked in with a man Jess could guess was her father. Even in the few seconds of the man entering the store Jess could tell he was much warmer than his own father was. The way he gave her that look of care, the way they seemed to be having an amicable conversation...just another reason to hate her. She had the life he, more or less, could only dream of having.

"Les, why don't you go pick out some paint for your room. Can you do that without me?" Jess overheard the man talking to the girl, who in turn rolled her eyes.

"Bill, I'm seventeen. I'm pretty sure I can pick out paint by myself." She called her father by his first name? That was definitely strange.

"Oh, are we back to this Bill nonsense? I kind of liked the idea of you calling me dad. Or do I have to tickle it out of you?" the man seemed ready to attack, earning a good laugh from the pair and Jess had to fight to stifle his own. After all, it was rude to eavesdrop, even if the store was small enough to hear everything going on.

"Dad we're in public!" She, however, didn't seem quite as concerned as she let on, as there was quite a large smile on her face.

"Ha! I win this round for now. Go on, go find your paint. I've got to get a few tools." With that they finally parted and Jess took note that she was now almost directly across form him, looking at the paint. Had he not tried extremely hard to just focus on what he was doing, he would have noticed how she kept glancing up every once in a while.

"What, no comment about where I can find the pink paint today?" she finally broke the silence, causing him to look up at her, who was now looking down, presumably at the paint selection. So she hadn't let that go.

"Look," Jess started, his hands pausing as he tried hard to figure out how to say what it was he wanted to say. "I'm sorry, alright? Yesterday wasn't a good day and...well, you can imagine how often girls walk in to this store, much less girls who know what they need." Apologies weren't his strongest suit, seeing as they rarely happened. But her response, nevertheless, surprised him.

"I'm sorry too. Being new, especially a senior in high school, is hard. This move has been tough and after Hoager's comments yesterday I just wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone, much less a lackey or whatever you are of his." She was...apologizing. To him. He had expected some remark about how his apology wasn't good enough, or something like that. But this girl was actually apologizing too. She was definitely not like any of the other girls.

When he had yet to say anything, she started talking again. "How about we...start over or something," she paused then, and her hand extended over the short supply wall that separated them. "I'm Leslie Burke. Nice to meet you."

He took a moment to inspect her hand. What he was expecting to find he wasn't sure; a buzzer, maybe just some sort of joke to further humiliate him, something along those lines. Tentatively he shook her hand then, still a bit perplexed by this new girl's antics. But maybe he had jumped to conclusions. And maybe – just maybe – he could consider giving her a chance. "Jess Aarons."


	7. Fate

AN: Well it's been forever. Nearly a year I think? And honestly, I can't give you guys a good reason for my absence. I simply lost the motivation to write. College has been taking up a lot of my time, and I couldn't ever come up with a place for this to actually go. I'm still stuck, but I finally came to terms with the fact that it wasn't fair to you guys, my loyal readers, to just abandon this.

On another note, TBKnight – I can't see what contact you left in the review! Thanks for the idea though, I'm still looking for someone to bounce ideas off of.

Without further ado, here's the next installment of GoL. I hope I don't disappoint!

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><p>Life was pandemonium.<p>

Understatement of the year? Perhaps. Even with a seemingly uneventful week passing by, Leslie was overwhelmed by the fast pace. People wanted to be friends with her, which was certainly something new. From what she remembered, the last time she was the new girl it was like she had brought some rare disease to the town. Everyone avoided her like the Black Plague – and quite frankly, if she were being honest, she would have preferred a situation akin to that. The only real differences she could surmise were that she didn't have cooties any more, and her parents were significantly more famous than they had been.

Whatever it was, she didn't like it. She felt like she was on display somewhere for everyone to ogle. How a set of science fiction authors obtained such a status in the nation was completely an enigma. Maybe Leslie could chalk it up to the fact that it was a fairly small town and they simply never had anything exciting happen.

She heaved an audible sigh when the school week had finally ended. With as much homework as she had loaded on her throughout the week, Leslie hadn't had much time to spend reacquainting herself with her family. That and she certainly was looking forward to relaxing and not getting caught up in the whirlwind of school. Unfortunately, the peace and quiet lent a time for Leslie to reflect on everything that was different.

During the week Leslie hadn't had much time to dwell on the loss (or rather, lack of) her best friend in this world. Now, it seemed to hit her full force that this was, inevitably, the price she had to pay in order to live again. It was plausible, sure; after all, returning from the grave would rattle anyone beyond repair, even if it was with the best intentions. This was the way it had to be, and even though she didn't have to like it, she had to accept the fact that she had to start over when it came to Jess. They were, at least, on better terms. He wasn't sending her death glares any more, although admittedly there hadn't been much exchange between the two after the day in the shop. A few polite words shared in passing, a typical formal conversation, but nothing more. She had been taken by the braniacs, and he was a part of Hoager's crew – which she would never stoop low enough to join.

At some moments she fought an internal battle. It was challenging for Leslie to be treated like some stranger when she felt such a deep connection in return. All the memories she shared with Jess weren't real, at least not in this world she now had to live in. To him, she was just some new kid who had moved to his small town, taking his glory in the only area he shined in and further pushing him off the radar. As much as she hated to admit, Leslie knew she couldn't blame him for the hostility.

All of the pent up emotions that were starting to break the flood gates were why Leslie decided to wake up at five in the morning on Saturday. A good long run was exactly what she needed to clear her head and try to establish the way of this new life.

The fates, however, seemed to want to play unkind on this particular day.

"You've got to be kidding." The words broke her from her train of thought as she was quietly moving away from her home, not wanting to disrupt her parents' sleep. Immediately her head turned, and she saw the very person she was trying to not think about. He was dressed for running, she easily concluded, and she knew he had gathered as much about her from her own attire. And, she noticed, he was just about excited to see her as she was him. She bristled slightly as she was reminded of one of their first encounters, recognizing the patronizing tone.

"Am I not allowed to enjoy a run on a Saturday morning?" she challenged, her arms folding across her chest as he stopped a few feet away from her.

Jess exhaled rather loudly, almost visibly deflating. "I just thought that I'd at least be able to run on the weekend without it turning into a competition, but clearly I was wrong."

Leslie could hear the grudge and defeat in his voice, and she sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for publicly humiliating you or however you took it, alright? I was just trying to prove to Coach Giles that I was good enough to be on the team. If I had any idea how much it would have wounded your pride…" she faded out, mumbling. It was obvious to her that, at least in this instance, things were still fragile between them. He was older now, and regarded at the school as the best runner. It was only natural for his ego to be hurt, but really, it was a bit ridiculous at how personal he was taking it.

"My pride isn't wounded," he shot back defensively, "besides, it wasn't like I was running my best that day. You caught me off guard. If I raced you again, I'd surely win," he finished smugly, and Leslie rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Would a rematch make you feel better?" she conceded, knowing what was about to happen. He wasn't going to let her in until his ego was restored, and that meant Leslie needed to learn how to swallow her pride.

Jess's face lit up a bit, and he gave a dignified smirk as she fell for his all-too-obvious ploy. "Yeah, first to the end of the road wins." He then moved up beside her, getting ready. "On your mark, get set, go!" he all but shouted as he took off, determination all over his face.

Leslie kept a pretty good pace, not trailing too far behind him. She knew what she had to do. Sure, she didn't like it at all, but it was her only shot at making things right – or at least, better – between them. So Leslie sucked it up and let him win. She wasn't sure she would have won anyway, with how hard he was pushing himself, but she knew she definitely didn't try her hardest. Quite frankly, she hated it. Her pride was big too, and it was hard to humble herself enough. That was, until she saw his face.

It was one of the rare moments when she saw Jess without any inhibitions. He was happy. He was smiling. She couldn't remember any time in school when she saw him like this. This was _her _Jess, the Jess she knew and remembered. And in spite of herself, she smiled.

"Good job," she managed to get out politely, effectively breaking him out of his carefree moment as he came to terms with the fact that there was someone else there.

His face was smug in satisfaction as he looked at Leslie. "Yeah, well, see? I told you, you just caught me off guard last time." Modesty, clearly, was not his strongest suit.

Leslie in turn sighed, biting her tongue to keep from putting him in his place. "Well, bye then," she stated awkwardly, turning to go back to her house. She didn't really think she was in the mood to run anymore. Obviously her attempt at patching things up wasn't as effective as she wanted it to be.

She only made it a few steps before he spoke again. "Wait," he began, which caused her to turn and look at him. Even from a little distance she could visibly see the gears in his head turning as he contemplated something, looking a bit stuck. He took a moment, as if thinking things through, before continuing. "Were you still going to run? I mean, you are new to this town and I know a pretty good route…" he faded out uncertainly, as if he wasn't sure how to finish the sentence.

It was, she concluded, an invitation to run with him. She was almost happy – almost. "Wouldn't I just slow you down?" the somewhat scathing remark left her mouth before she could stop it. After all, he was gloating way too much for her liking, and it had been insensitive.

Jess looked a bit taken aback by her response. "No, I mean, it's more of a jogging route anyway. And I know you're fast and I never said you weren't or anything, and I wouldn't offer if I didn't think you could keep up, which I know you can…" he continued rambling, and Leslie could tell that was about as close to an apology as she was going to get for his rather egotistical behavior.

She held up a hand and he stopped, blushing in embarrassment. "A simple 'I'm sorry for rubbing it in your face that I won' would have sufficed, but sure, I'll come," she agreed, and he only nodded, silently thanking her for understanding what he was trying to say.

"It's this way," he finally spoke, regaining his composure as he picked up a slow jog, waiting for her to catch up. Leslie began jogging as well as she easily moved up so that she was jogging beside him, and the pace quickened to a good endurance speed. They ran in silence for a while, and occasionally Leslie fell just a bit behind to allow him to lead the way. The area was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't let him know that.

After a while of not speaking at all, Jess attempted to strike up a conversation. "So, what made you move to Lark Creek anyway?" Leslie gave a small shrug as he turned to look at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I think my parents were tired of living in D.C. We've never really been big city people, and they were hoping to relocate to something much more rural and quiet. Of course, I don't think they anticipated the reception that they're getting here. I just hope it all settles down soon," she finished, glancing at him briefly before looking back to the path. It was probably good too, because she missed the dumbstruck look that was on Jess's face.

"You mean," he began, gathering his thoughts, "you don't enjoy all the popularity you're getting?" It was an honest question, and Jess seemed to be quite shocked that the answer wasn't what he was expecting.

Leslie snorted in response before she could help it, the laugh not going unnoticed. "I hate it. People won't leave me alone at school. They only want to talk to me because of the status, not because they actually want to know me." It was still a wonder to her where her parents' fame came in to play, but Leslie knew she was suffering from it.

Jess still had a look of shock on his face as he tried to figure out just how to respond to that. He had always figured she was used to it and enjoyed the popularity. Yet again, another reason why he shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. "I just figured – I mean – I'm sure it wasn't any different in D.C. right?"

Leslie shook her head slightly, glancing at him once more as she continued jogging, even though the pace had slowed considerably since they had started talking. "No, actually. I think D.C. was just too big for anyone to really notice or care. Before my parents hit the bestseller list, I was an outcast, actually."

If Jess had been shocked before, this piece of information absolutely blew his mind. He never would have guessed that the new celebrity of their school used to be – well, like him.

"You must not have a lot of exciting things happen around here, if we're the talk of the town," she added in his silence, smiling weakly.

"Not really," he responded, snapping out of his thoughts. "I bet it will blow over soon though."

The rest of the jog was filled with random conversations, sometimes about the scenery and sometimes about other trivial things – but the important thing to Leslie was that they were having a civil conversation while doing something they both loved. When they returned back to the street both their houses resided on, he paused outside her house.

"Thanks, for jogging with me. It was definitely less boring, having someone to talk to." Leslie couldn't help but give a small smile at his comment, knowing it was as close as she was going to get for now. "You know, it wouldn't be bad, if you wanted to jog together every Saturday," he then continued, the apprehensive offer standing for a few moments.

After a pause, Leslie nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think I'd like that." With one last smile and a goodbye, she walked back in to her house, waving as Jess continued on to his own.

Things may not have been perfect, or even great for that matter, but at least they were finally starting to look up. And maybe, just maybe, she could find a friend again in Jess Aarons.


	8. Smile

AN: I'm a terrible person guys. I'm so bad at updating it's not even funny. I hope some of you who liked this story from the beginning are still around. So…here's a super long chapter to make up for my neglectfulness.

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><p>Jess had gone to church that morning.<p>

He wasn't really sure why. His father used to make all the children go when they were younger, but by the age of fifteen the pressure to attend had decreased to a minimum. Suffice it to say, Jess took the opportunity to sleep in one day out of the week. But for some reason, he had woken up in a timely manner and casually joined his family in the pews, singing the hymns he'd been taught as a child. There must have been something off about him, because Jack Aarons noticed.

"What's with you, son?"

It was a simple phrase, one that didn't hold any command or implication of work that Jess was used to hearing. And he wasn't really sure why, but the fact that Jack referred to him as his own flesh and blood, for once in his life, made Jess a little giddy. He wouldn't let it come out though, no matter how much he appreciated the tiniest amount of affection. So, instead Jess simply shrugged.

"I dunno what you mean." And with that the conversation ended, but Jack didn't stop scrutinizing his only male offspring when the young man wasn't looking. There was something different, something light. If Jack hadn't known any better, he'd have asked his son if he had a ladyfriend. But that wasn't the kind of relationship he had with his son, so Jack didn't dare ask. Besides, surely he would have heard through May Belle. May would tell him anything and everything, including things that Jess said. If Jess had a girlfriend, May would know.

Jack Aarons didn't think too much on it the rest of the day. He would simply be grateful that his son was possibly maturing and deciding to come back to the church home he used to know. He wouldn't say anything, because truthfully, he didn't know how.

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><p>Typically Jess didn't look forward to Mondays. They were Mondays, after all. But for whatever reason he was a bit more enthused to make it to track practice, this morning. He'd deny it, if anyone correlated his newfound energy with the particular appearance of one Leslie Burke. Truthfully, the new girl was a mystery to him. Just when he thought he had her pegged, she'd throw him a curve ball. And while he knew he would still get teased for her beating him the first day, he felt like he could take it.<p>

He'd take anything if it meant he could keep a safe distance between Fulcher and Leslie.

Had he really just thought that? Jess was getting soft. Then again, he didn't like the way Fulcher and the rest of the guys talked about her, and he figured she didn't either. She wasn't dumb, Jess knew she likely heard all or most of their conversations. And, he frowned in thought, a lot of them ended up turning into something X-rated. They were in high school – being a teenage male himself, he knew what raging hormones were like – but he also knew it was easy to have tact and to treat others with respect.

Once Jess dropped May off he realized he hadn't listened to a single word she said. Obviously she hadn't noticed; if she had, he wouldn't have heard the end of it. It wasn't intentional that he faded off into the imaginative portion of his mind. It just sort of…happened.

Trying to find a spot wasn't too challenging on that morning, since he had arrived early. One spot in particular caught his eye though, as it was beside a '67 Chevy. Momentarily stunned, he almost caused a wreck in the parking lot before quickly pulling into the open slot.

Unlike most days, Jess took his time to get out of his truck and observe the classic with wonder. It was a stunning blue color, and on closer inspection he noted that it was a Camaro convertible. How had he not seen this car around before? He had to find the guy who owned it, if only just to tell him how awesome the car was.

Deciding he wasn't going to take a verbal lashing from Giles over a car, Jess quickly made his way to the track. Fortunately he had worn his athletic clothes to school, so he didn't have to waste time changing clothes.

He found that Leslie was already there, stretching, along with a few guys who were ogling her from a distance. Having made the decision to be nicer to her at school now that he knew she wasn't the spawn of Satan, he simply rolled his eyes and walked over to her, sitting beside her on the grass.

His tactic seemed to work, too. She jumped marginally and looked at him like he had grown a third eye for a moment, as if she had forgotten that they had come to some sort of truce. That, or she just hadn't thought that he would change his behavior at school. Either way, her momentary discomfort was enjoyed briefly before he continued on as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Rumor has it we're working on endurance today. Which is basically the best type of practice, since we go running around the neighborhoods nearby and Giles isn't around to yell." It was small talk, sure, but the fact that he was talking to her so openly was a first, and he could tell Leslie was silently grateful he had disrupted the awkward tension between her and the other guys.

"Wait, you mean she trusts you guys enough to come back?"

There was a hint of shock, and Jess could understand why. Most of the guys were like Hoager and Fulcher, and it was even surprising to him that they elected to come back at the end of the run. They hated school, after all.

"I think they're just scared. The wrath of Giles far outweighs skipping class," he responded lightly, which earned him a laugh.

He hadn't ever really heard her laugh at something he said. It was an incredible sound, and before he could stop it, a smile had worked its way to his face. Why was he being so ridiculous? It shouldn't have affected him that much, making her laugh. But there was something undeniably rewarding about being able to make her laugh that caused something weird in the pit of his stomach. Jess tried to quickly shake it off. Just because they were on speaking terms now didn't mean that they were suddenly inseparable. But as much as he told himself that, he still couldn't quite get rid of the feeling.

Fortunately Giles came at the perfect time, for once. Her yelling snapped him out of the delirious state, and he quickly stood, falling in line with the rest of the class.

Jess couldn't help but notice that Leslie was beside him still, though.

The rumors had been true, and they were sent off to run the path through the neighborhoods surrounding the area. Since it was an endurance run, no one cared about the order – but Jess still found himself at the front of the pack, and Leslie was beside him. Had they not been sentenced to run for a good hour, he'd have challenged her again for being so bold to question his position as leader. Instead, he shrugged it off and picked up a steady pace that she easily kept up with. Better up with him than being thrown to the dogs, he silently thought.

It wasn't until he heard a catcall from behind that Jess actually noticed what Leslie was wearing. Athletic clothes for females were, he decided, designed to drive guys crazy.

The tank top was skin tight, and its only saving feature was the slightly-higher neckline that didn't cut low enough to see anything. The shorts were tight, and lived up to their name. Jess could just barely get a glimpse of her long, toned legs and immediately wished he hadn't. He had to be better than the other guys.

He hoped that the low whistle had been the extent of the commentary from behind, but clearly the odds weren't in his favor.

"Man, I'd tap that," Fulcher rumbled behind them, and it was painfully clear who he was referring to.

Jess was ready to come to the rescue and defend her honor, or whatever the hell he was supposed to do, but Leslie was quicker.

"Please, Fulcher, you couldn't keep up with me no matter how hard you tried." A sly look was thrown over her shoulder, and that damn eyebrow was quirked again, before she took off, distancing herself from the group.

Jess remained stunned, listening to the other guys shout things like "Burned!" and "Ouch!" He quickly caught the look on Fulcher's face, knowing it was a priceless moment that might not have ever happened again. He seemed just as shocked, and it was like his ego was mortally wounded at the fact that the new girl turned him down. While Fulcher wasn't the crème of the crop as far as male selection went, he knew his way around the ladies and he always made it clear that he could have whoever he wanted. To see him so shut down was incredibly rewarding.

It only took Jess a moment to recover, and he easily pushed up to her faster pace, catching up to Leslie within a block.

"What was that?" he asked once he knew the others couldn't hear him, looking at her with big eyes. She had a bit of a red tinge to her face, and while Jess knew she'd blame it on the running, he assumed it also had to do with what had just happened.

"I'm sick and tired of him treating me like a piece of meat. And since nothing else has really worked, I tried a new tactic." There was a matter-of-fact tone in her voice, but he could hear the discomfort. "And before you get any ideas, I'm_ not_ that kind of girl." He could hear the warning in her tone, and fought back a laugh. He held his hands up in mock surrender, a smile still on his face.

"I never said you were. Actually, I wanted to tell you how impressed I am. I think you're the first girl to ever tell him off. And do it successfully," he added, grinning as he glanced back at Fulcher's slack-jawed expression.

"Oh," she responded, caught off-guard. "Well…good. He deserved it." She then broke out into laughter, finally coming to terms with what had just happened, and Jess joined in. The rest of the run was spent in this fashion, with them making jokes and laughing.

When they got back first, Giles gave them a suspicious look. The two were struggling to hold in the grins and laughter, which made it even more comical.

"Aarons, Burke, I'll see you tomorrow…" and with that the coach stalked off, ready to yell at Walker for tripping over his own shoes. Once she was a safe distance Jess and Leslie both broke into fits of laughter, not able to hold it back. They continued the banter and mockery all the way to the locker rooms.

"I'll see you in History," Jess said as they parted ways, which earned him a nod and smile.

He wasn't sure what it was, but he really did like making her laugh. And smile. Ugh, he needed to stop being such a pansy. He wouldn't hear the end of it if he went soft.

While Jess was generally apathetic as far as classes went, he couldn't help but notice that precal was particularly dull. He'd be damned if he actually admitted it was because Leslie wasn't in there. He still wasn't sure how their relationship had made a one-eighty within one weekend, but Jess was beginning to see that it was significantly more fun with her around.

European History was different this time. Perhaps it was because he was on speaking terms with Leslie now, and he couldn't help but love the strange looks he got when she would address him. Jess was always considered the recluse, and the fact that he had managed to befriend the new girl who was surprisingly popular made him grow in popularity by default. Not that he cared, really. Frankly, Jess would have loved to sweep by under the radar, but with his status as top male runner in the school, it was unlikely.

They walked to class together. It was the weirdest feeling in the world.

Jess was a loner, and he was walking to class with someone. Two someones, actually. That Sarah girl who was also in Mayes' class was with them, but Jess was mostly talking to Leslie, when she said something he felt he could respond to. Whenever the topic was schoolwork he would shrink back inside himself. He didn't really feel smart enough to hold up a conversation about school.

English was silent, because everyone feared for their lives if they dared speak up in Mayes' class. Every once in a while Jess would catch Leslie's eyes though, and they'd share a look. It was extremely strange, how he felt like they could communicate silently with just their eyes, but it was like they were having some conversation. Then they'd have to look away, in fear of bursting into laughter during the lecture about not reading the book and how many people failed the test from last week.

It was like he had a friend who actually understood him.

Lunch was an awkward situation. Jess didn't know what to do or where to go. He had walked with Leslie and Sarah from English to the cafeteria, and the two girls were clearly making their way over to the braniac table without a second thought.

He slowed in his steps, his eyes darting back and forth between the two tables. Hoager and Fulcher were trying to see what food substituted the best for a paper football and who could get their food to go the farthest, and the table in general was loud. The other table seemed to be having a good conversation, and to his surprise there weren't any books on the table. Wasn't that what they did? Study all the time? Maybe he had been wrong..

Leslie seemed to sense his distress, and told Sarah she'd catch up in a minute before she fell back to Jess. "If you don't want to sit with us…I mean, if you'd rather sit with your friends…" the words came out kind of quick as she also looked over at his regular table and grimaced at the lack of intelligence.

It was a true dilemma. All throughout high school Jess had lumped himself with the rest of the track guys, mostly because they were the only people who thought anything of him. He had never gone out of his way to make real friends, and passed time with the idiots he knew by default. And yet, here was his one opportunity to make friends. But did he dare disrupt the status quo?

A pepperoni landed by his feet and he looked up just in time to catch Hoager shouting "Touchdown!"

"Well that settles it," he muttered, walking with her toward the table she had gotten close to. He hung off her shoulder a bit, and while he wouldn't dare admit it, Jess was nervous. Would they be rude, knowing he was usually an ornament to Fulcher's table?

It was scary, how well Leslie read him.

When they were in earshot, Leslie began talking. "Hey guys, you know Jess right? He's forgoing the Neanderthals and sitting with us today." Leslie gripped his forearm and pulled him into the seat beside her, noting that he had yet to move.

The reception was surprisingly well. No one seemed to hold it against him that he usually sat with the dumbest, crudest part of the school's population. And shockingly enough not one conversation was about a school subject. Jess found himself talking more than he thought he ever would at the smart table. They asked him questions about his life, and while he was a little uncomfortable at first, he found that they were a pretty good group of people who didn't mock him or taunt him for fun. And while Jess never once considered himself smart, he realized that he was leagues above the "Neanderthals," as Leslie had referred to them.

In fact, Jess was so caught up in the conversations of the table that he had no idea that much time had passed when it was time to go to Physics. He waved goodbye to his newfound friends – he could call them that now, right? – and said goodbye to Leslie who was heading off to her Calculus class.

He noticed the subtle smile on her face, and found himself missing it throughout Physics. And he wanted to hit himself for it.

Jess didn't see Leslie again until he bumped into her on his way out of school.

"So you seemed to enjoy lunch, today," she casually began, giving him a sideways look as they walked out to the parking lot.

Jess let out a small laugh. "Yeah. I never thought I'd like talking to them. I had no idea what they were actually like. They're…well, they're cool." A shrug followed as he couldn't think of better words to use, and he shoved his hands in his pockets.

Leslie nodded in agreement. "You know, not everyone is out to make someone else's life miserable."

It was a profound statement, to say the least. He knew she was referring to the fact that Fulcher and Hoager were horrible friends, if he could even call them that, as real friends wouldn't intentionally try to bring you down. But there was more meaning in the statement, too. Jess couldn't help but think he was wrong in his initial passing of judgment over Leslie. And the best part was that she knew, and she understood, without him having to say a word.

His truck was only a few steps away now, and he looked back to her. "Where are you parked?"

She had keys in her hand and she looked at him before looking over to his truck. "Right here," she pointed with her key to the Chevy he had been admiring earlier.

His eyes grew wide and his mouth opened slightly. "This…is your car?"

A small laugh escaped her and she nodded. "Yeah. What, am I not allowed to like classics?" she teased when she noticed his expression, throwing her backpack in the backseat.

"What? No!" he backtracked, realizing he had probably come off sexist again. "I just saw this car earlier and I thought it was awesome. I had no idea you were into old cars."

Another laugh followed as she leaned against her car, watching him look over it with eager interest. "Oh calm down, I was joking. I guess I've just liked them for a while. This was the car I always told my parents I wanted, and I got it for my seventeenth birthday. Which is good, because my dad really wanted to put me in a Volvo or some kind of monster truck."

Pulled out of his momentary stupor, Jess managed to beat her to her door and opened it. It was habit, more than anything. If there was anything Jack Aarons taught his one and only son, it was how to be a man. "Well it's really cool."

Leslie smiled in response. "Thanks! You'll have to drive it some time, it's really fun."

Again, his face showed shock. "Me? Drive it?" Could this have been a dream? Likely.

"Yeah! We'll go in to town sometime when you don't have to work." Another brilliant smile told Jess that she was completely serious, and he smiled back.

He could only nod, moving over to the driver's side of his truck. "I'll see you tomorrow, Leslie." It wasn't a question, but a fact. If there was one thing Jess could take away from today, it was that he wasn't going to blow it with Leslie again. In just one week she had proven a better friend than any of the guys he had known for years, and he wasn't about to let that go.

"Bye, Jess," she departed, pulling out of the parking lot with a smile still on her face, matching his.

And even though Jess had to go to work and do basically nothing for the rest of his evening, that smile wouldn't leave.


	9. Oreos

AN: I've had a renewed energy to work on this fic. I started this chapter three hours after posting the last.

I'm going to level with all of you, old and new readers alike – I still have no clue where I'm going with this story. It started with a strange and underdone concept and developed into something I can only hope is unique, but as far as plot lines go, there really isn't one. I've been hoping that something would eventually come to me about where to go and different paths this story could take, but it's been a constant struggle and that's why I take huge breaks from time to time. I'll write a few chapters, get stuck in a rut, and abandon ship.

I always come back, because I want to finish. I want resolve, I want some profound message. It just hasn't come to me yet. And it's been nearly three years since I first began this story, on a whim. I'm incredibly grateful for all you loyal readers who give me motivation to finish, and I do sincerely hope I can find some awesome plot in the depths of my brain to go with without this fic becoming anything outwardly religious and spiritual.

So…anyway, backstory aside, here's chapter nine. Enjoy and review! Tell me all this confusion and lack of direction is worth it. Please.

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><p>Leslie couldn't stop smiling the whole way home.<p>

It was so bad, even her parents noticed the moment she walked through the door. They described it as some sort of dreamy look on her face – something they determined about her with her still in the room – and she didn't even care. They could have said her bedroom was on fire and the sky was falling and they were all going to drown in a tidal wave, and she wouldn't have cared.

Jesse Aarons was her friend again.

Leslie knew it was a bit ridiculous to be so elated over something that seemed so simple. Her parents, they didn't understand. No one did, really. She was the only person who held on to the memories of her previous life in Lark Creek with a twelve-year-old Jess Aarons. If she tried to explain it to her parents, she'd probably be admitted to a psych ward or something along those lines.

She certainly couldn't have gone to Jess about all of it. Never mind the fact that he practically hated her guts all over again when they re-met, he'd have labeled her a loony and been on his merry way.

It was still a near-impossible challenge for Leslie to not treat him as if they had been the best of friends since they were children. The Jess she once knew would have embraced her on first sight and they would have cried together for hours and he wouldn't ever let her go. While her other-worldly memory was vastly fading, Leslie still held on to all those moments she could hear his sobs and feel his anguish. How she had longed to be there with him, comforting him, telling him she was alright. She had been there, to an extent, but he never knew.

But she wasn't dealing with that Jess anymore. The tangible Jess lived in a world that Leslie never affected until recently. He hadn't found his artistic side with her persuasion and he hadn't learned how to dream and imagine and create. It was the hardest pill to swallow, and it was still a day-by-day basis on how she managed to handle it.

At the very least, if he was her friend again, she could manage. The door had been closed, but a window was still left open. And she was going to get through that window, even if it was ten stories high.

"I think our little Leslie has a crush, Bill." Judy's words finally shook her from her fazed state, and her eyes widened.

"No! I don't have a crush. I just…well, I just have a good friend." Try as she might, Leslie knew that no amount of persuasion was going to get her parents away from the idea. But they wouldn't understand, and it wasn't like she could tell them that she re-friended her old best friend from the last time they were in Lark Creek and she died and came back to life to keep him from committing suicide, so instead she settled on taking the heat.

Bill simply gave a knowing smile and laughed, rubbing her head affectionately. "Sure, pumpkin. Whatever you say. Honestly, we're just glad you're not being reclusive like you usually are." He walked to the table, sipping on his cup of tea. "Now, you don't have to tell me about him right now, but believe me when I say I will find out everything there is to know about this mystery boy. I am your father, after all," he concluded with a wink, casually reading the paper.

"Oh, Bill," Judy dismissed with a laugh, looking up to Leslie. "Don't mind your father dear, he wouldn't have a clue about feelings if it hit him in the head like a ton of bricks."

Bill looked up at his wife incredulously. "And what could you ever mean by that, dear?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about. I was the one who asked you to the dance, because you chickened out. Remember, _dear?_"

At this point Leslie couldn't contain her laughter at her parents. "Look, there isn't a guy. Well, there is, but it's not like that. He's just a good friend, okay? So you guys need to lay off because I want him to be able to come over here without living in fear that you're going to royally embarrass me in front of him."

Even still, her mother was smiling like she knew more than she was letting on. "You have my word, Leslie. I can't make any promises for your father though."

On cue, her father produced a toothy grin, too innocent to be true. "Of course, sweetie. I won't embarrass you."

Leslie simply rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'll believe that when the flying monkeys take me away to Oz," Leslie muttered, taking a seat at the table as well.

Her father looked up at her. "You know, funny thing about those monkeys…"

The next day at school meant that Leslie saw Jess very little. They had track again, as the athletic period was double-blocked. After that, Leslie had French. She had no idea she spoke French, but apparently she had been studying it since she was thirteen and was already at the top of her class. Which, of course, made her a great number of enemies as well as friends.

Her third class for the day was choir. Leslie hadn't thought about being in choir before, but she needed a music credit and she was a pretty good singer. Apparently good enough to land the soprano solo in one of the choral pieces, which made Allison Carver insanely jealous. Even when she talked to the director in the office with closed doors, everyone could hear her shrill and obnoxious voice boldly proclaiming that she was far superior and deserved it since she had been around all four years.

Leslie retained the solo, and couldn't help but smirk at the fuming Allison who stormed out of the choir room, clearly upset that she didn't get her way for the first time in her life.

Lunch was the second time she saw Jess that day, and without even blinking he went to sit by Leslie at their table. She liked the sound of that- _their table_. Everyone had accepted him without batting an eyelash, too, which was great. Leslie had been worried initially. While Jess hadn't said a single word to any of them the week she had been there, she had no idea what his past relationship had been with the group, and she feared they'd group him with Fulcher's lackeys. But they hadn't; they had accepted him with open arms, and she was relieved that they now had a good group of friends he could fit into.

He fit in seamlessly. Leslie hadn't ever doubted that Jess was smart – quite the contrary, she knew he was brilliant when it came to History and English – but he had always been the quiet type. It was nice to see him open up to other people, and even though she was mildly jealous that she now had to share, it made her happy knowing that she had been the catalyst.

It was during lunch that Leslie found out Jess was in art, German, and advanced wood and metal shop on his B-days. She was pleased to hear he somehow managed to find courage to develop his artistic side, but he was still extremely shy when she asked if she could see his work.

At the end of lunch Leslie was a little bummed that she likely wouldn't see him again, since she was headed off to theater before they were released for the day.

Theater was one of Leslie's favorite classes. It turned out that her physics teacher Mr. Otman was also a very well-known actor and travelled the European circuit in his earlier days – and he taught theater too. It was always full of fun exercises and scenes, and Leslie found that she excelled in acting. With her imagination, it was easy to put herself in any scenario.

On her way out Leslie didn't run into Jess. His truck was already gone by the time she made it to her car, and she shrugged it off, trying not to care. When did she get this clingy?

Oh, right, when she died and came back to life. That might have had something to do with it.

When Leslie pulled in to her driveway, Bill was already outside. "Leslie! I just got a call from Jack Aarons. Apparently the paint you ordered for your room came in."

A celebratory "yay!" followed his statement as she got out of her car. Leslie had ended up ordering special colors when she found out that the selection at the hardware store was bland and minimal. It had been a week since they placed the order, and that meant a full week of torturous white walls in her bedroom.

"Do you want to go pick it up now? I've got to make a run up there to get a few hardware things anyway." Bill brushed his hands on his pants, and Leslie noticed he had been weeding in order to clear out the area where the deck was going to go.

Leslie responded with a vigorous nod. It was imperative that she paint her room immediately; the white was making her miserable. That, and she'd take any excuse if it meant possibly seeing Jess again, now that they were on friendly terms.

Without another word exchanged the two got into her car and drove off, top down.

Her father was quick to start blasting the oldies station, and they sang along loudly together all the way there, enjoying each other's company.

Man, had she missed this.

They pulled into the parking lot laughing. The various looks they received were priceless, and the two didn't care. Leslie really loved her dad.

She could tell the moment she saw Jess in the store that he had seen them the moment they pulled up. The way he averted his gaze like he hadn't been staring the whole time was kind of almost…cute.

No. She did _not_ just think that.

"Ah! My boy," Bill greeted Jess warmly, approaching the counter with Leslie at his side.

"Uh, hi Mr. Burke," Jess replied awkwardly, and Leslie stifled a giggle. It was clear that Jess wasn't used to her father's openness. He shot her a look, and she knew she had failed at being inconspicuous while watching the bizarre encounter.

"Oh no, no Mr. Burke here. Please, call me Bill. Yes, anyway, your father called me, said the paint came in. I myself have some hardware needs so I'll be looking around. Behave," he responded with a wink, looking between his daughter and Jess for a moment before walking away. Leslie rolled her eyes.

"Is he always like that?" Jess asked quietly as he leaned over the counter, looking at her father's retreating back.

Leslie gave a short laugh. "What, you mean friendly and outgoing? Yeah, that's his norm. He also has a knack for embarrassing me." She shrugged, watching her dad for a moment before turning back to Jess.

"Right," he replied awkwardly, not quite sure how to respond. Leslie could tell without having to see that Jess's relationship with his father wasn't anything like hers was with Bill. It was clear that Jess wasn't used to the warmth and care. Of course, she knew Jack loved his son dearly, but he didn't know how to show it. And without her death bringing them closer, there was still a rift between the two.

"So, anyway, the paint came in. Here, I'll open them so you can check the colors." He pulled out the cans and a paint tool and pried the tops off. A brilliant aqua color was revealed first, and then a Kelly green.

"They're perfect!" Her grin was huge as she looked at the two colors, excited to paint her room.

Jess smiled at her enthusiasm, putting the lids back on with a hammer. "Good color choice. Most people go with the standard white or eggshell or whatever. It's so boring to look at."

Leslie nodded in response. "My room's white right now. It drives me crazy. I feel like I'm in a mental institution." Jess snorted in laughter, and she gave him a pointed look. "Watch it."

Jess held up his hands. "Hey, you said it, I didn't." The two laughed then, and Leslie didn't notice that her dad had paused in his perusing of the aisles to look at the pair.

He pushed the cans over to her, but paused. "I'm actually glad you guys came in here. I have a question." When he didn't continue, Leslie gave him a look that urged him on. "Right. Well, see, I'm terrible at math and I just got a D on a quiz. And I heard you're in Calculus which means you've already take pre-Cal and I was just wondering if maybe you'd possibly have time to help me?" The last part came out in a rush, like Jess was anticipating the rejection or mockery for him asking for help.

Leslie simply smiled. "Of course I'll help you. You usually get off at five, right?" Jess only nodded in answer. "Right, then how about Tuesdays and Thursdays after five you come over and we'll go over the homework that's due the next day? And whenever you get quizzes and tests back we can go through those too."

Her proposition seemed to sit well because he immediately came back with "that would be great," and tinged a little red at his own eagerness to respond. Neither had any time to say anything more though, because Bill had returned.

"I see you two have been playing nice," he teased as he placed down the faucet and doorknobs he had picked up, which earned yet another flush from Jess. The poor guy had absolutely no idea how to handle Bill.

"Dad, Jess is going to start coming over on Tuesdays and Thursdays so we can work on our homework together. Is that alright?" The question was thrown in at the end to not sound so demanding, but she knew Bill wouldn't have a problem regardless.

"Of course!" he exclaimed wildly, looking to Jess. "This means you'll be joining us tonight, for dinner, right? Oh, I'll go call Judy!" Bill seemed to ignore all the moments Jess tried to interject, and Jess exhaled loudly.

Leslie simply laughed. "Yeah, he won't let you say no." She reached out to her father, who quickly handed her his credit card before walking outside on his cell phone.

Jess sighed again, but there was a small smile on his face as he rang up the total. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you later then, since I obviously don't have a say in the matter," he said jokingly, handing the bag over to Leslie.

"See you," she responded with a smile, before walking out of the store.

* * *

><p>Jess arrived at exactly 5:17PM. Not that she had been staring at the clock or anything.<p>

Leslie had made sure the minute they got home that she gave her parents a run-down of what was and wasn't appropriate for Jess coming to dinner. She had clarified that they had only known each other for barely a week and their friendship was still rocky, so they needed to not treat him like some potential suitor or any of that rubbish.

Leslie wasn't usually demanding, but her tone made both of them realize she meant business. Of course, her mother wouldn't dare tell Leslie that she believed Leslie's feelings were much deeper and that's why she cared so much.

Regardless, the two promised that they'd treat Jess as normally as any other guest she might have brought home. Well, Judy promised. Bill said he'd try, which was about as good as it was going to get.

So, when Jess showed up on their doorstep and rang the doorbell, of course everything went out the window.

"Oh come in, come in! Jess right? Here, just set your bag down by the stairs. Forgive the clutter dear, we're still living out of boxes." Judy rushed Jess inside before he could blink, and Leslie rolled her eyes. This would be a long night.

"Now, dinner is just about ready, Leslie if you'll get everyone's drinks we can go ahead and have a seat," Judy quickly retreated to the kitchen, only to bring out a bowl of salad and set it down.

"What would you like to drink?" Leslie asked Jess, looking at him with an apologetic expression.

He merely laughed it off, giving her reassurance that he wasn't going to be frightened off. "Water's good, thank you." Leslie could tell he wasn't comfortable with not doing something for himself, and she recalled the time that she had spent in his house as a child. It was more of a "fend for yourself" situation, and get what you need when you need it. She remembered having a sit-down meal with them once, and it was pizza. Not that she minded, of course – it was just a different atmosphere.

Leslie got the glasses of water and tea on the table, just in time for Judy to bring out the bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. Bill, in turn, brought out the pan of bread and the salad dressings, and they all took a seat.

The various serving dishes were passed around, and Bill wasted no time in making conversation. "So Jess, how long have you lived in Lark Creek?" He scooped up some pasta before handing it off, looking at their guest.

"We've lived here all my life," he responded, adding salad to his plate. "Actually, our house is the only other one on this street, down at the end."

"Oh, you're our neighbors?" it was Judy this time, who looked surprised but happy none-the-less. "I met your mother the other day. She mentioned you and your sisters."

This time it was Leslie to look a little surprised. "You have sisters?" she asked, before taking a bite of salad.

Jess nodded. "Four of them, actually. Ellie and Brenda are older, they're out of the house. May Belle is twelve, and Joyce Ann is seven." Bill made a low whistle sound.

"Must be quite an adventure, living in a house dominated by women." His twinkling expression lasted for a moment before Judy swiftly hit him in the arm, causing both girls to laugh. "Ow! See? They're so sensitive…"

Laughter ensued at the table and the rest of the dinner conversation carried on in a similar fashion. There wasn't a dull or quiet moment, and Jess found himself comfortable, talking to Leslie's parents. Leslie could see that it was difficult for him at times to come to terms with the way her family functioned. Even she was still getting reacquainted to the dynamic, but she couldn't tell anyone that.

Still, it was pretty clear that Jess found the dinner pleasant, as he insisted he help clean the dishes afterward before they went upstairs to work on math.

"We're going to go do homework now," Leslie announced to her parents, and her dad poked his head around the corner to look at the two on the stairs.

"Behave," he repeated, winking once more, before returning to the book he was reading.

Leslie simply rolled her eyes again, grabbed the bag that had the paint in it, and proceeded to lead Jess upstairs to her room. He took a little longer to walk, pausing to look around. She had to gently remind herself that he was used to a much smaller house filled with more people, and the whole atmosphere was drastically different.

"Sorry it's kind of a mess, I haven't really organized anything since I'm planning on painting it anyway." It was her only disclaimer before she pushed open the door, revealing her partially-decorated room. There were a lot of bright, colorful posters and paintings strewn about, and in one of the corners she had her collection of vinyls. Her bedspread was a brilliant purple color, but she had blankets piled on top of various colors and patterns that highlighted her love for vivid solids and prints.

"No, it's great," Jess finally managed to say, looking around. He let his backpack slide off his shoulder as he took a spot on her floor, and Leslie could tell he was trying to pretend that he was comfortable.

It hadn't crossed her mind that he'd be bothered by being in her room. Then again, the last time they were in her room alone they were only twelve. Leslie hadn't thought about the fact that they were now teenagers and were potentially putting themselves in a particularly compromising situation. Careful to keep a respectable distance, Leslie also sat down and grabbed her own math notebook. "So, what do you need help with?"

She could feel the tension alleviate as Jess began rummaging through his backpack, pulling out his pre-calculus book stuffed with papers. Immediately she gave him a sharp look and her arms folded across her chest. "Well, I can tell you the first thing you can do to help is to get a real notebook," she chided, to which he gave her a sheepish look.

Jess carefully started removing the papers tucked within the pages, heaving a sigh. "At least I know where all the papers are though," he grumbled in retort, piling the loose sheets on the floor. Once his book was emptied, he rummaged through the pile until he found the quiz he had gotten back that day.

Leslie gave him another look but didn't say anything as she took the quiz from him, looking over the work.

"Well the first thing I see is that you don't show all your work," she commented after a few moments of looking. She pointed to one problem in particular, holding the paper out for him to see. "Why didn't you show the division in the second step?"

"I did it in my head," he responded, looking over the work.

Leslie exhaled a bit loudly, not wanting to hear that answer. "Yes but you didn't get the right answer when you did it in your head. See, you solved the problem correctly, but with this number wrong since you didn't write the math out. I bet if you had just written it down you wouldn't have missed it." She handed it back for him to look at it, and he sighed, knowing she was right.

"So…what about this one? I didn't do it right, even though I wrote everything down." The paper was passed back as she looked at the next problem, trying to find the error.

"Oh! Look here. You didn't cancel out this set, see it's in the denominator too so you cancel it out since it equals one." She handed it back to him with her corrections and he reworked the problem, getting the correct answer. They went on like that for all the problems missed, and then she went over his homework and helped him work through the problems.

At some point Leslie had gone downstairs to get water and came back with Coke and Oreos. Their shoes had been off for a while and both had forgone the stiff, uncomfortably distant positions for much more casual ones. Leslie was on her back and Jess was on his stomach and elbows, looking over her grading his homework as he ate an Oreo.

"Looks good," she finally concluded, setting the paper down before grabbing a cookie for herself.

Jess rolled onto his back then, staring up at her blank ceiling with her. "You know, you should paint it."

Leslie didn't have to look over to know he was referring to her white ceiling. "But what would I put on it? Glow-in-the-dark stars seem a little cliché. And for ten-year-olds," she answered back, laughing a little.

"I don't know. Anything. Everything. Whatever you think of when you look up at it. What do you see?" his question had caught her off-guard, and she didn't answer for a moment, squinting her eyes as she tried to imagine what her ceiling could look like.

"I see…an ocean." She concluded, nodding once.

Jess nodded in agreement. "Ocean. I like it."

"I want to put words on it." She said suddenly, startling him from his position as he sat up to look at her.

"Words. Yeah, words are good," he agreed uncertainly, not too sure what had gotten in to her.

Another moment went by before she spoke again. "Will you help me paint my room?"

He glanced over at her, taking note of the quiet plea in her voice. "Sure. I think we'll need more paint though." Leslie only laughed in response, and threw an Oreo at him.


	10. Gold

AN: A third chapter in such a short amount of time? What can I say, I'm on a roll. That, and eventually I'll probably take a huge break before updating so you're getting your quick updates now. I can't stop writing.

So here you go! Review or don't. But please do. Maybe.

* * *

><p>They had remained there for a while. Not a lot of words were said, but Jess noticed for once in his life that they weren't needed. There was something really weird about his friendship with Leslie, something he couldn't quite figure out. It was as if they had this deep connection that had taken years to build up – but he only met her a week ago.<p>

At around nine Jess said goodbye to the quirky family, walking out of old Perkins' place with a smile on his face.

Two minutes later he was walking in to his own house, and unfortunately didn't do a good enough job at hiding the emotion.

"Why are you smiling like that? Oooh, Jess's got a girlfriend!" May Belle was the first to greet him, and Joyce Ann was hanging off of her shoulder, grinning ear to ear. She didn't really know what May Belle meant, but it was definitely grin-worthy.

Jess only rolled his eyes and walked to his mother, greeting her with a hug. "She's not my girlfriend. She's just helping me with math." Pulling away from Mary Aarons, he gripped the shoulder straps of his backpack and turned to go upstairs.

"I just hope you'll bring her by sometime, so we can meet her," Mary spoke up with a resigned sigh, knowing how reclusive her son could be.

Jess gave a laugh in response. "What, so I can be embarrassed by all of you in front of her? I'll pass." He began walking up the steps but paused, looking back. "They moved into the old Perkins' place. Her mother said she met you the other day." He then continued up the stairs, not daring to disrupt Jack Aarons during his Bible study time. It simply wasn't worth it.

He managed to get up to his room before any more jests were heard, and he swiftly closed the door. Ever since Brenda and Ellie left the house, May Belle and Joyce Ann had moved out of his room into their own. That meant Jess had some form of privacy in his house, and while it was a miniscule amount, he'd take it.

On the surface the room looked like any teenage male's cave. There were clothes everywhere, although admittedly Jess was always on top of laundry day. If he wasn't, he'd go another week without clean clothes – and that wasn't ever a good situation to be in. His hampers were partially full, and partially covered in various clothes that had been thrown at the hamper and missed the target.

Then there were his textbooks.

They were strewn about in no particular pattern. Some were being used as paperweights, while others were bookends for his art supplies.

His parents didn't know he was in art. It was a decision he had made when he got to middle school. Due to Ms. Edmunds being so accommodating in fifth grade, Jess managed to get the supplies he needed without having to go through his parents. While he imagined they probably would have forked the money over, he knew he'd never hear the end of it. To them, Jess doodled all day. They didn't understand the technique and practice that went in to every piece. They didn't know there were subcategories of art, like drawing, and painting, and clay, and glass. It was nothing more than a hobby.

It was good though. With his parents lack of concern for his ability, he had full creative license to work on whatever he wanted to work on, without anyone hovering over his shoulder.

Jess also took wood and metal shop, just to make his father happy. Art wasn't going to put food on the table, but woodshop could. At least, that was what his dad thought. Maybe he was right. Then again, Jess did have a number of art teachers tell him that he was good enough to get a scholarship to an art school. He hadn't ever considered college until he realized that they would actually _pay_ for him to go make art.

The backpack fell from his shoulder, forgotten against the wall as he rifled through his sketchbook. Jess sketched just about anything that stayed in his mind longer than two seconds. There were a lot of landscape sketches depicting the locations that surrounded school, and a few of his sketches were people from classes.

He got to the last one in his sketchbook and paused. Carefully, he tore out the sketch, making sure to not rip into any of the drawing. Jess then proceeded to reach under his bed and pull out a folder that was stuffed with sketches. He scanned through the various papers, only stopping when he saw the one he was looking for.

It was a crude drawing of a little blond girl, reading a book in the grass. He had drawn it when he was twelve. Despite this, Jess couldn't help but hold the newest sketch up to it in strange fascination. He hadn't even realized he had been sketching Leslie until halfway through the class, when his art teacher came around and asked who she was. Jess was about to answer that she was the non-identified female he always drew, until he realized that he had drawn a figure with an uncanny resemblance to Leslie.

Even though there was a six year difference between the two sketches, Jess couldn't help but be shocked at the similarities the two held. But, sleep got the best of him, and he figured it was simply a coincidence. Filing the sketch of Leslie into the folder, he crashed onto his bed and drifted off.

The rest of the week was particularly normal for Jess. He was still sitting with the braniacs at lunch (he figured he should probably stop referring to them as such, too) and it was a comfortable place to be. Fulcher had finally noticed that Jess had made the switch, and called him out on it in track. Fulcher seemed miffed, but all Jess had to do was draw himself to full height and asked if he had a problem with it, and Fulcher slunk away in defeat.

He went over to Leslie's again after work on Thursday. She was really smart, and not just in math. Jess found that he could listen to her talk for hours about all the other things she knew, like history and French. He liked it when she spoke French. She was really good with English, too. Even though Jess thought his essays were average and good enough to pass, he realized he liked her proofreading his writing. After all, she was the daughter of two famous authors.

Thursday he also found out that Mr. Burke (Bill, he had to get used to calling him Bill) needed help getting the lumber home since he didn't have a truck. Naturally, Jess volunteered to drop it off on his way home on Friday.

And that's how Jess ended up being pulled inside for a glass of tea and some Rum cake Friday evening. That's also how Jess somehow got hired to help Bill build the deck.

Saturday morning found Jess outside promptly at six to go for a jog. This time, he was expecting Leslie. The path they took was roughly the same as before, and the run was filled with conversation. He found out more things about the already-complex Leslie – like how she loved swimming, didn't like storms, and once rode an ostrich.

Jess, surprisingly, shared things to Leslie as well. He confessed to being afraid of the dark, hating being the middle child, and liking "Queen" more than he should. Even though the two laughed about his last confession, Leslie saw right through the veil and brought him back to his second.

"What's so bad about being the middle child? I think it would be fun to have so many siblings to play with." They were in a shaded part of the trail, and their pace slowed to accommodate the uneven terrain.

Jess gave his signature non-committal shrug. "I just feel like I don't exist sometimes. I mean, you would think being the only boy in the family would make you stick out, but it doesn't. Not really, anyway. Not in Dad's eyes." When Leslie didn't immediately respond, Jess continued. "You know, I used to get made fun of all the time because I would get a lot of Brenda and Ellie's hand-me-downs. I remember burning through sneakers fast because I was always running, so Mom kept giving me Ellie's old ones. They were always pink or purple, and I'd sit there for an hour covering up all the girly colors with a black marker."

He wasn't sure why he hadn't talked about it before. It was probably because Jess, whether he liked to admit it or not, was very similar to Jack Aarons in that he was too proud to talk about their financial woes. Besides, at the tender stage of childhood, kids were a lot more callous when it came to things like that.

And, Jess had to consider that he never had anyone to open up to before. That probably had a big impact.

The silence hadn't lasted for very long, but it was long enough for Leslie to understand the weight of his words. "I used to get made fun of because I dressed differently and because we moved so much. I don't think I ever really had friends because I never had enough time to make any. People treated me like I had the Black Plague whenever we moved to a new location."

Jess was more surprised at that statement than he thought he would be. He always pictured Leslie as having friends, and even though they had talked briefly about it before and how she was a bit of an outcast, he hadn't ever thought about her being teased too. She seemed so…well, put together, for lack of better words. She was smart too. It was hard to imagine her as the weird kid no one wanted to be friends with. Then again, he could have probably said the same thing about himself, and it wouldn't have changed anything.

"At least your parents love you." He hadn't meant it as a one-up or anything to trump her previous statement. Frankly, he was just confessing another truth – and that was probably what made it more difficult to stomach.

It was abrupt enough to cause Leslie to stop, and immediately turn and look at him. "Hey, don't say that. I know it might not always seem like it but you know they love you. Look, some parents can have all the love in the world and just not know how to share it. It doesn't mean they love you any less, it just means they don't know how to show it."

For a moment Jess was stunned. He had forgotten that Leslie had never met his parents, nor could she have possibly known what their family dynamic was like. But in that moment, he knew that she was speaking with wisdom beyond their years and he longed to believe every last word.

But real life came crashing back down and he shrugged again, turning in defeat. "Yeah, well, you haven't met my dad yet."

Jess could feel her eyes on him, trying to figure out something else to say. And then there was a second when it was like she was looking past him. He didn't miss the disgruntled look on her face as she stared at what appeared to be nothing behind him, but she quickly recovered and picked up her pace.

They slowly worked back into a jog again – neither was interested in returning to the deep conversation they had touched moments before.

"So…are you going to show me any of your drawings yet?" Leslie was the first to break the uneasy feeling that had settled between them, and he nearly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I dunno. It's not like they're any good, I just draw when I'm bored and stuff." He looked down a bit, trying to avoid her eyes. He wasn't used to showing anyone his work, besides his teacher.

Leslie scoffed. "Don't criticize yourself. I'm sure you're a fantastic artist. And I fully expect to see your work soon, so it's up to you if we're doing this the easy way or the hard way."

Her matter-of-fact tone was so blunt that Jess snorted in laughter beside her. "Oh yeah? And what exactly does the 'hard way' entail?" he responded, skeptical.

The wicked grin he received was a frightening answer. "Oh, trust me, I have my ways." And with that she took off in a sudden burst of speed. The two laughed all the way home.

Returning to the Burke house had not been the plan; however, Jess found that he was incapable of saying no when Judy Burke was all but dragging him inside to offer him some sort of refreshment. This morning, it happened to be a breakfast buffet with enough food to feed ten people.

There was never a dull moment at the Burke house. Jess was used to Brenda texting and Ellie watching TV and May Belle shadowing Dad and Mom tending to Joyce Ann since the girl still didn't think she had to feed herself. And then there would be Jess, the silent space at the table who only answered when someone addressed him – if it wasn't an insult from Ellie.

At this table, Jess felt like people genuinely cared and wanted to hear about all the things that went on in his life. Bill thought it was hilarious that Jess had once tied the school bullies' shoes together. Judy thought it was wonderful that Jess had ambitions to go to college. And Leslie – well, she loved hearing everything, but Jess could tell she was grateful that her parents seemed to accept him so easily.

After the table was cleared, Bill tossed a set of keys to Leslie. "Hey, will you two go pick up that paint I ordered? I want to get one of the rooms painted today."

Leslie didn't even blink as she caught the keys swiftly. "Sure dad." Her attention then turned Jess. "Want to come? I mean if you already have plans I understand, I know this is last minute and all…" she was rambling again and Jess couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you kidding? My Saturdays are usually made up of me sitting around doing absolutely nothing. Of course I'll go." His response seemed to be a good one, because Leslie immediately lit up before shoving the keys in his hands.

"Good. You're driving."

They were walking out the door before Jess could blink. "Uhh…you sure?"

Leslie only grinned and hopped into the passenger seat, not bothering with the door.

Figuring that was her way of confirmation, Jess sighed and opened the driver door, carefully getting in to the Chevy.

Leslie gave a short laugh. "It's not going to bite you or anything…" Which earned her a glare that only caused her to laugh more.

Once he got in and started the car, his inhibitions were gone. Jess was at home with classic cars. While he certainly wasn't a genius with them by any means, he had taken up the hobby of fixing cars as a side job. As he put the key in the ignition and turned, the roar immediately caused a grin to hit his face.

Leslie smiled in return, and the two pulled out of her driveway. Her hand immediately reached for the knob to turn the volume up, and Jess glimpsed at her for a moment. "What are you doing?"

She gave him a funny look, her hand paused momentarily. "Turning the radio up." The radio was then significantly louder and on an oldies station. Leslie quickly jumped in, singing quite loudly beside him.

He had to admit, she had a really good voice. It wasn't like one of those voices you would hear at an opera. It was just light and nice.

After the song ended, Leslie turned the volume back down. She looked over at him, the smile still on her face. "Why aren't you singing?"

Jess laughed at her question. "Me? Sing? No, I don't sing."

"Aww! Come on. This is a classic. You have to know it." She immediately turned the radio back up as it blasted "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and jumped right in, looking at Jess expectantly.

He only saw her out of the corner of his eyes but that's all he needed to see in order to know that she was waiting for him to sing. Jess rolled his eyes. It wasn't going to happen. There was no way he was going to sing to a Beatles song while driving a '67 Camero top-down.

Five seconds later Jess was singing loudly (and off-key) with Leslie.

He used to sing along to the radio when he was a kid. There were memories from his childhood that he held on to, because they were the few times he ever saw Jack Aarons smile. The only time the whole family went anywhere was when they went to church. Seeing as they only had the pick-up, the four kids would sit in the bed of the truck. He remembered his dad used to roll the windows down and crank the radio, and the whole family would sing as they drove home. It seldom occurred, but the few times it did Jess remembered.

By the time they had pulled up to the shop, the two had been through four songs, and Jess hadn't stopped singing. They both laughed as he shut off the engine. He turned to Leslie and noticed her face was flushed – likely from the rush of driving a convertible and from singing their guts out only moments ago – and he couldn't help but think that with her cheeks taking on a red tinge and her hair flying wildly around her face, she looked good.

No. He wasn't going down that path.

He looked down as he opened the door, getting out of the car. Jess made a point to try and get to her door, but she had already jumped out of the car by the time he was at the hood. Sighing in mock defeat, he grabbed the door to the store for her. Jess prided himself on the fact that he was raised to have manners. That, and he knew he'd never hear the end of it from his dad, who had been watching the whole scene play out from inside the shop.

As they entered the shop, Jess could feel the atmosphere change. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable around his dad – okay, maybe he was – but it was like he had to be a "man" whenever he was around his father, especially since he brought a female companion with him. He couldn't let his dad see weakness.

"What did you forget?" The grunt was meant to be a bit of humor, but the lack of anything more than sarcasm was dully noted.

"Just here to pick up the Burkes' paint that was ordered," Jess responded cordially as they approached the counter where his father was, who was observing Leslie. "Dad, this is Leslie Burke." It wasn't the best introduction in the world, but Jess knew his father didn't like anyone beating around the bush.

Something in Jack Aarons' face had softened when he looked at Leslie. Jess could only figure it was because she was a girl. Jack always knew how to be nice to girls, since he had four daughters. And while Leslie was unlike any of his sisters (which was a very good thing) she was still someone Jack viewed as delicate.

"It's nice to meet you, Sir," Leslie offered politely, sticking her hand out to shake.

Jack took it, albeit more gently than normal, and gave her a rare shimmer of a smile. "Nice to meet you too, Miss Burke." He then ducked down, momentarily disappearing, only to resurface with two large cans of paint her father had ordered.

Jess reached over and grabbed the cans before Leslie could consider it, and even though she threw him a look over her shoulder that clearly said "I can carry those myself," Jess earned a knowing nod from his father which far outweighed Leslie's need to be independent.

"You two have fun." Jack's words were a struggle to get out, as if he wasn't used to well-wishing, but Leslie smiled anyway.

"Thank you, Mr. Aarons," she seemed to answer for both of them since Jess had already turned to leave. Jack gave his grunt in response, and the two exited the store.

Once back to Leslie's car, Jess cracked into a grin. "Well that was interesting."

Leslie laughed a little in response. "He seems…nice."

That earned a snort from Jess. "Yeah, tigers seem nice too, but you don't see me volunteering to jump in a cage with one." That comment got more laughter from Leslie, and Jess set the paint in the backseat before hopping in to the car to join her.

The conversation was quickly forgotten as they turned the radio up and sang all the way home.

When they returned to the Burke house, the drop sheets had just about been put in place. The majority of the room had been cleared out, but things like the bookshelves had only been moved to the middle and covered to prevent having to move anything too strenuous. The room was massive and open – almost the entire exterior wall was glass.

"Ah! Perfect," Bill greeted, taking the paint cans from Jess and setting them on the ground to open.

Judy walked back in the room with a handful of rollers, brushes, and pans. "No time to waste! I'm determined to have these walls finished so when the late sun hits it, we can watch it catch fire."

Jess noticed that a strange look had crossed Leslie's face as she watched her father open the cans. Inside was what looked like pure gold paint.

She had become still, staring into the paint. Jess was about to ask her what was wrong, but her father had beat him to it. "You alright, Leslie?"

That seemed to shake her back to reality. "Oh, yeah, I just thought I saw something move." The cryptic answer seemed good enough for her parents, who went back to pouring the paint in some pans and cups, but Jess knew better. Still, he wouldn't dare push her to explain. Their friendship was strange and not too stable – he wasn't sure it was acceptable to ask anything to personal, and it definitely seemed like whatever had just happened was extremely personal.

The moment passed, and Jess grabbed one of the brushes and a cup of paint.

"How about a little music while we paint?" Bill Burke smiled and turned up the radio by the window. The music got Leslie smiling again, and she bobbed to the beat while grabbing a roller.

The next few hours were filled with painting, singing, spontaneous dancing, paint splattering, and delicious sandwiches and tea.

Jess wasn't sure he had ever smiled that much before. It was like they had just accepted him as a part of the family, even though they had only moved in two weeks ago.

When the walls were finished, the four stepped back to the window to admire the work. For some reason Jess felt a sense of déjà vu, although he couldn't possibly think of why. He hadn't ever painted a room gold before.

"It looks great!" Bill was the first to compliment their hard work, and Judy nodded.

"Leslie, come help me in the kitchen really quick." Leslie gave her mother a funny look but complied, leaving Bill and Jess alone in the room.

Once Bill felt that the women were out of earshot, he turned to Jess. "So Jess, can I be frank?"

Jess, slightly caught off-guard, nodded. "Uh, sure Mr. Burke."

"None of that Mr. Burke nonsense, remember? Anyway, I just wanted to ask you – what are your intentions with my daughter?"

The question had caught Jess by complete surprise – especially since Bill wasn't interrogating or intimidating in the slightest when he had asked. It was as if the question was as simple as asking what he wanted to drink. Jess blinked a few times, trying to gather his thoughts together.

"Uh, nothing. I mean, Leslie's great and all, but we're just friends. Not that there's anything wrong with her, of course. I just…I mean, uh…you know, we've only known each other for two weeks and that's kind of fast. Not that I have any intentions…uh…" Jess was rambling, trying to give an adequate and politically correct answer, and it was as if his brain couldn't determine that he was simply digging himself a deeper hole.

Had his father been the one interrogating a male companion of one of his sisters, he'd have been shot.

Instead, Bill simply laughed and clapped Jess on the back. "No need to worry yourself Jess, I was only asking." He leaned against the window sill, looking at the golden wall across from him. "You know Leslie, well, she's always had a hard time making friends since we've moved around so much. It's nice to see her happy." He paused, turning to look at Jess.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, it's just a job of being a father. The screening process of male prospects, I mean." He simply shrugged, a hint of a smile never fully leaving his face. "You passed, by the way."

"Passed what?" Leslie walked back into the room, and Jess froze for a minute. Had she been listening? What had she heard?

But Bill was quick to save the day. "The Burke test! You're not welcome here unless you prove you're knowledgeable when it comes to The Beatles."

"Oh Bill, don't be ridiculous. Just because you're obsessed with them doesn't mean we have to be. Don't mind him dear, he's only joking." Judy had followed Leslie into the room and had turned to address Jess with a smile on her face.

Jess couldn't figure out why it made him so happy that Bill Burke had basically told him he was suitable for Leslie. It wasn't like they were more than friends. Two weeks was hardly enough time to get to know each other that well. And still, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

It was then Jess noticed that Leslie had brought popcorn, and was taking a seat against the gold where it had dried. "Don't you want a front row seat for the sunset?" she asked him expectantly, and he quickly made his way over to her. The pair wasted no time digging in to the popcorn, and hardly noticed when Judy and Bill silently excused themselves from the room.

Jess had begun throwing up pieces of popcorn in the air and catching them in his mouth, which earned laughter and encouragement from Leslie. "Come on, throw one."

Still laughing, she complied and he caught it expertly as he had done with all the pieces he had thrown.

"My turn!" Leslie exclaimed, tilting her head back in preparation.

Jess laughed and nodded, reaching in to the bowl. Having a particularly devious idea come to mind, he did the best to hide his smirk and tossed a handful of popcorn directly at her face. The look on her face was priceless, and Jess knew immediately that his idea had been successful.

"What was that for?" he'd have thought she would have been upset by the tone of her voice, if he couldn't see the way her eyes were still shining in mirth. When he didn't produce an answer quick enough, Leslie made her attack. She was quick, and all of the sudden he was accosted by popcorn.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, trying to shake the popcorn out of his hair. "I am appalled that you would waste such a delicious snack on a petty fight," he said in mock arrogance, which immediately caused Leslie to stick her tongue out in a childish fashion.

"You started it," she retorted immaturely, before they both laughed and grabbed handfuls of popcorn. The next few minutes were war as the two ran around the room, firing popcorn pieces at each other while trying to avoid getting hit.

When they finally ran out of popcorn to throw, they laughed and collapsed against the wall, both a little winded from the exertion. It was at that moment when sunlight began pouring through the window, and they both realized that the sunset was hitting the house.

The way it bounced off the gold was more beautiful than Jess could have imagined. The whole room lit up, and Jess could see why they had chosen the color. It was as if the sunlight was dancing across the walls, carried through the sporadic brush strokes on the walls that had no sense of direction. It was mass chaos, and he loved it.

Leslie was apparently just as mesmerized because Jess faintly heard her mumble "wow" as they watched.

Jess realized with a mixture of giddiness and sadness that he never wanted the moment to end. And as they sat in silence, he had the strange urge to reach over and grab Leslie's hand.

If only he knew she was thinking the same thing, he might have actually done it.


	11. Window

AN: I have no idea how long this story will end up. I have some ideas that will be surfacing soon, but I'm still kind of improvising as far as the overall direction. I know it will cover a good amount of time, though.

I would love ideas/encouragement/criticism/whatever. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you to my loyal readers/reviewers! Your comments are appreciated so much!

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><p>Leslie had seen him.<p>

It had been when they were running, that morning. They were in the forest, talking about things. And when Jess had brought up his father and lack of relationship, she had seen him.

He was behind Jess, against the tree. She would have recognized his shadowy form anywhere.

The Dark Master was back.

Then again, Leslie had thought later that in this reality he hadn't been defeated. The manifestation of Jess' fear of his father was thriving in this world, and if anything had become more powerful as the years had passed. He was brave – he made contact. She could see his thin, bony shadow fingers reaching out to grab Jess, filling his mind with despairing thoughts.

Leslie knew then that this was her main purpose on this Earth. She existed to mend the bond between father and son. That was essentially why she had been taken back the first time – it was the only way to bring the two closer. Now, though, she wondered if there was possibly a different outcome where everyone could win.

Boy, did she sure hope so. She really didn't want to keep going through this cycle of befriending Jess and dying to meet some moral point.

She knew she had to up her game, if she was going to get rid of the Dark Master. He had a tight grip on Jess, and it was going to take more than some juicy fruit and art supplies to break through.

Eventually after the sun had set, Jess said he needed to get home before his dad did. As much as Leslie was blissfully enjoying their time and didn't want to see him leave, she understood. That, and he didn't look too happy about going home, which shouldn't have made her as happy as it did. Of course, she knew she had to change that. Even still, it was nice to know that he was enjoying his time with her.

He gave her a hug goodbye. Leslie couldn't stop smiling all night.

Sunday morning she heard his pick-up drive by. She never heard when he came home, and didn't see him at all that day. Leslie hated to admit that she lacked the will to do anything knowing that she wasn't going to see Jess. Why was she so obsessed with spending time with him? Even Leslie couldn't answer her own question, which troubled her.

Monday brought back the regular school pattern, and she saw him frequently. In track, Hoager was surprisingly quiet. Leslie equated it to her previous conquer of his ego, but she was shocked that he had yet to give Jess any real flack about his sudden change in seating arrangement for lunch. Still, she would take it. Anything if it meant not having to deal with someone who had the IQ of a brick.

Classes were going well for her. Even though she would often work herself up into a panic when she felt that she was going to be tested over material she swore she never actually learned, it would all come back at the last minute and be there. Leslie had no idea how it worked – she was just glad she hadn't restarted life with the intelligence of her twelve-year-old self. That wouldn't have been very good.

It was standard for Jess to sit with her at lunch. She noted that he was becoming more outgoing as the days passed. And, she thought to herself happily, he was starting to participate in intellectual conversations about homework and books. Leslie never thought she'd see the day when Jess Aarons had a book talk.

Leslie missed seeing him that evening.

Tuesday meant that Leslie saw very little of Jess except for lunch; however, she was noticeably happier since he would be coming over after work.

And he did. They spent the evening working on homework and discussing the importance of spoons. Their conversations were usually random and pointless, and Leslie loved it.

The rest of the week followed a similar pattern. Wednesday she saw Jess a lot during school and Thursday she saw him after he worked. It was Thursday when the pattern was disrupted.

"So my mom's been bugging me and I don't think I can fend her off for much longer. She really wants you to come over tomorrow. Says she wants to meet you and thank you for helping me not fail." They were up in Leslie's room, their homework long forgotten. He laughed a little after at the irony and Leslie joined in.

"I'd love to meet your family," she finally conceded after their laughter had died down, "I mean I've only met your dad and that was probably the most awkward thirty seconds of my life so…" They both laughed again. Leslie enjoyed being able to make him laugh.

And it was settled that way. Jess would pick Leslie up on the way home from work on Friday. He insisted on getting her, even though she could have easily driven herself or even walked over.

At five twenty Jess was knocking on her front door. Leslie had previously had a miniature crisis on what to wear – never did she think she'd be that concerned with self-image, but she knew she needed to leave a good impression, so she was in utter turmoil trying to figure out what would be appropriate without flaunting their financial status.

Fortunately the girl did basically nothing to get ready besides brush her hair and teeth, so she didn't hold Jess up any. The two left her house, and Leslie did her best to not get too worried about meeting his family. She knew them once, and they liked her enough. That should be comforting, right?

Leslie tried her hardest to not appear nervous in front of Jess. The last thing she needed was for him to know that something was up. He was already insecure enough, and he would immediately regret the decision to bring her if he thought there was a problem.

"I'm going to warn you now, May Belle will probably cause a lot of trouble. Just…ignore what she says. That's what I do." He was the first to break the ice, and she was glad that he offered some advice. It was good to know that May Belle was basically the same person, just older – although she wasn't sure if she was ready to deal with the taunting, now that it was much more applicable since they were older. The whole "sitting in a tree" chant had been cute, when they were twelve.

"Is she the type to pull out your baby pictures at the dinner table?" Leslie teased, distracting her mind from the nerves.

Jess looked mortified at the thought, and she laughed at his discomfort.

They were at his house then, as it was maybe a minute drive tops. It looked exactly how she remembered it, although there was another truck in the drive and the yard looked more tended to.

"Well, here we go," Jess said with apprehension as they approached the front door, and Leslie put on her calm smile as she attempted to ease the fear rising in her chest.

Jess opened the door tentatively, allowing Leslie to step inside first. "We're here, mom," he made their presence known, and Leslie braced herself for the inevitable.

Almost immediately a curly brown head popped around the corner. Even though the girl had aged a few years, Leslie recognized her in a second. May Belle's devious face was staring – more like gawking – at her. "_You're_ Leslie?" Her incredulous voiced caused Leslie to stifle a laugh, and Jess only rolled his eyes.

"Yes May Belle, this is Leslie. Leslie, this is my obnoxious sister May Belle." He seemed bored and uninterested in doing the introduction, but it was like May Belle hadn't heard a word he said. She was still plainly staring at Leslie.

"Wow! You're way prettier than I thought you would be."

Her comment seemed to shock everyone who was listening. Mary Aarons shouted "May Belle!" from the kitchen, which reminded the younger girl to further explain.

"Not that I thought you wouldn't be pretty, it's just – I mean, you're way out of Jess's league."

Even the explanation didn't help much. "Thanks, May," Jess retorted sarcastically. "And we're just friends." He gave an apologetic look to Leslie, who smiled in return, and quickly pushed past May Belle to lead Leslie into the center of their house.

"Right," May Belle drew out from behind him, not believing him in the slightest. Leslie would have laughed, if it hadn't been for the fact that she could tell Jess was upset with his sister. Regardless of Jess's feelings being completely platonic for her, she knew that something like that deeply hurt the male ego.

"Anyway," Jess started awkwardly, making his way into the living room. He could see his mother from there, and when she caught sight of the two she quickly wiped her hands on a towel and walked in.

"Leslie, what a pleasure it is to finally get to meet you. I've heard so many wonderful things!" Mary was…well, nicer than Leslie remembered. Not that she was mean, but she was much more open to showing emotion that wasn't stress. Then again, one look around the room proved that things had really turned up for the family. Now that they were a two-income family and Jack's business had taken off, they were doing much better.

Mary pulled Leslie into a hug without a second thought, and Leslie, though caught a little off-guard, returned it generously. She could see Jess out of the corner of her eye, still visually perturbed. Probably because his mom just admitted that Jess talked about her. She felt a small flutter in her stomach at the thought, but decided to not dwell on it.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Aarons," she greeted politely as they separated.

"And you've already met May Belle," she then spoke with a little less vigor and more upset at her daughter's callous introduction. "Sorry for her behavior."

Leslie simply laughed it off. "It's not a problem, really." Her carefree attitude earned a smile from Mary Aarons.

"Oh, and Joyce Ann is…where did she go?" She was now looking around the room, and Leslie couldn't help but wonder if the other girl had been in there moments ago by the way Mary's face looked.

A small girl peeked over the couch then, and Leslie noticed that she had the same brown hair as the rest of the family. It was hard to believe that this was the same infant she remembered Mary holding constantly.

"Ah, Joy, come meet Leslie." The little girl in question shyly walked closer, and there was a huge grin on her face that made Leslie believe she knew something Leslie didn't. She hovered behind her mother for a moment, studying Leslie quietly, and Mary gave an uneasy laugh.

"She's a bit shy around new people," she offered apologetically, but Leslie simply smiled. At that moment Joyce Ann rushed forward and latched herself on to Leslie's lower half. It took a fraction of a second for Leslie to return the embrace, laughing into the small girl's curly hair. Even though she had only been one at the time Leslie was alive, she couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, Joyce Ann knew more than anyone else.

Leslie's random thought was confirmed by Mary's surprised reaction. This behavior was completely uncharacteristic for the child, who never spoke to people outside of her family. And yet here she was, whispering in Leslie's ear.

"I'm glad you're back."

The one statement sent Leslie's world crashing down and she had to fight off the tears that threatened to spill. She had to remind herself that Joyce had seen her before, in the other reality. Children were always so perceptive; when Leslie would visit Jess, if only for a moment in time, Joyce Ann was the only person who could see her. How Joyce retained the memories was beyond her capacity – but maybe she was the link Leslie had to her old life.

Eventually Joyce Ann let go, and they shared a look for a moment before she ran back to her spot behind the couch. As Leslie got up off the floor Mary laughed uncomfortably. "That's Joy for you. She's always full of surprises. Here, you two sit down, we'll have dinner once your father gets home," Mary had addressed Jess as she motioned for them to sit on the couch. Leslie happily obliged, and Jess sat beside her, still dazed by the weird things that were happening.

"Sorry about my sisters. They can be…well-" Jess was cut off as Leslie shook her head.

"No need to apologize. May Belle is just being a teenage girl, and Joyce is adorable." She shrugged, laughing. Her laugh seemed to ease Jess and he relaxed into the couch, before his brows furrowed.

"What did she say to you anyway? Joyce I mean. I heard her whisper." Leslie felt sinking in the pit of her stomach. Lie, lie, lie. All she had to do was lie. And do it well.

"Um, she just said she liked me," Leslie shrugged, trying to fight her rising heart beat as adrenaline pumped through her. She was pretty sure Jess was going to call her out on her lie, but fortunately the front door opened and Jack Aarons walked through.

Leslie never thought she'd be indebted to Jack Aarons for interrupting what could have been a catastrophic moment.

He walked in to the living room and saw Leslie first. "Leslie, good to see you again." His casual reaction told her that Jack Aarons had been expecting to see her, and she nodded in return.

"Nice to see you again too, Sir." Her polite tone didn't go unnoticed and she could see his eyes light up for a brief moment before he walked into the kitchen.

Leslie made note of the fact that he neglected to address Jess, and she looked over to see if it had affected him at all. His casual, unchanged expression told her that it wasn't the first time he had gone by unnoticed.

"Alright kids, dinner's ready," Mary announced from the kitchen. Joyce Ann bolted from her position to the kitchen, and Leslie couldn't help but laugh a little. Jess was up quickly, and offered her a hand. She accepted it graciously as he pulled her up off the couch, and followed him into the kitchen where their table was.

Leslie made note of the better looking paint on the walls and new table.

Mary Aarons had made fried chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. They all served themselves before sitting down, and Leslie found herself sitting between Jess and Joyce Ann (due to the fact that Joyce refused to sit anywhere that wasn't beside Leslie) at the circular table.

Frankly, she was glad she noticed that no one had picked up their utensils yet – otherwise she would have probably started eating, and neglected to remember that his family prayed before their meals.

Mary had gotten Joyce Ann's plate before she served herself, and then all six of them were seated at the table. Jack began the trend of holding hands as he reached out for Mary and May Belle, who grabbed on to Jess and Joyce Ann, respectively, and then both of them grabbed Leslie. She probably would have thought more about the fact that she was holding Jess's hand, had she not been scrambling to keep up with the etiquette of prayer. Leslie did, however, notice that his hand became increasingly warm and she could feel his pulse rise. She wouldn't dare say anything though.

They all bowed their heads, and Leslie followed suit as Jack Aarons led prayer. Truthfully, Leslie zoned out a little bit. His voice was just so gruff and monotone that she couldn't remain focused. All she remembered was his "Amen" which she echoed. Everyone made a move for the forks and knives then, and began eating.

The table was a little more subdued than she was used to. Leslie could only assume it had something to do with the fact that Jack Aarons was incredibly intimidating and no one wanted to say something that would offend or upset him, so they instead sat in silence until he made the effort at conversation. Lucky for her, she was the person of interest that night.

"So Leslie, what brings you to Lark Creek?" He managed to ask in between bites of the meal, and she carefully waited until her mouth wasn't full before responding.

"Well, my parents are authors so we've moved around a lot. They decided that a change in scenery was best, D.C. was just too crowded for us," she offered with bated breath. He seemed to approve of her answer because he nodded, and Leslie let out the air she had subconsciously been holding. Why was she so worked up over Jack Aarons' approval? Then again, she wouldn't want to be told that she was no good for Jess's company.

"What kind of things do your parents write about?" This time it was Mary who asked the question, and she was glad that at least Mrs. Aarons didn't make her feel like she was in the hot seat.

"They've published scholarly articles and essays in English and Literature, but their forte is science fiction." This time Mary made a small noise in response, and Leslie felt like she answered correctly again as she took another bite of food.

"Do you have any brothers? Or sisters?" This time May Belle was the one who asked the question, and Leslie shook her head.

"I'm an only child. Things were…complicated, and my mother couldn't have any more children after me." She could feel Jess's eyes on her then, having also learned something new by that last answer.

The rest of the dinner went by in a similar manner; someone would ask Leslie a question, and she'd calmly answer. The girl had inherited her mother's knack for being loquacious, and as such she was pretty impressive and captivating when she spoke. She even managed to make Jack Aarons crack a smile and let out a short laugh, which was an incredible feat for her.

When dinner was finished everyone stood. Leslie made a move to grab her plate, but Mary stopped her. "Now don't you be getting any ideas about cleaning in here, you're our guest. Why don't you go sit in the living room?"

As much as Leslie wanted to protest that she was quite capable and happy to help clean up, she could tell it was a losing battle and laughed a slight bit, nodding and walking into the living room. Jess was the elected dish helper for the night, which left Leslie with May Belle and Joyce Ann. Jack had gone outside, and Leslie felt like she could breathe again.

Unfortunately she didn't have much time to recover from dinner. "So Leslie, do you have a boyfriend yet?" Leslie blinked a few times, trying to make sure she heard May Belle right.

"Um, no, I don't," she responded honestly, sitting down beside Jess's younger sister.

Leslie chanced a glance up at Jess, who she could see through the window in the partial wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. He appeared to not be paying attention to the conversation, which was probably for the best.

"Oh. I don't either. Do you know what it's like? There are some really cute boys in my class, but Daddy would have a cow if I had a boyfriend." May Belle had always been extremely talkative, although Leslie didn't remember boys being the topic. Back then it was Barbies. But things changed. Like hormones.

Leslie could only shake her head. To her recollection she hadn't ever been in a relationship – it made sense, since she never had enough time to get to know anyone well enough. "No, I don't know what it's like." That caused May Belle's eyes to widen significantly.

"You mean you've never had a boyfriend before? Ever? Aren't you like, seventeen?" She seemed scandalized that Leslie didn't have any good stories to share about the opposite sex, and Leslie could only shrug. She sincerely hoped that May Belle hadn't said that loud enough for Jess to hear.

"Haven't you ever kissed a boy before?" The questions kept getting more awkward, driving home the point that Leslie was completely and totally inexperienced when it came to relationships, and she shook her head again in response.

May Belle's open-mouthed look prompted Leslie to speak. "I guess I've just never found anyone I liked enough." Leslie couldn't blame the younger girl too much; after all, with role models like Brenda and Ellie who probably both kissed lots of boys around their younger siblings, she could understand why May Belle was so shocked.

"Wow. That's good though, I mean, that you're waiting. Pretty sure Jess hasn't kissed anyone either, at least he hasn't told me, but he doesn't always tell me things. I couldn't see anyone wanting to with him though, I mean, yuck, right?" The girl had a habit of talking for long periods of time and at a fast pace, and Leslie was slightly overwhelmed at the personal information that was offered up. It wasn't like she needed to know that. Why would it make a difference to her?

At least that's what she wanted to believe. She couldn't deny that it made her happy to find out about Jess's lack of relationships. Leslie didn't neglect to notice the looks he got at school from other girls. Of course, he was probably too oblivious to realize that there were girls in the school who would have happily dated him. Before she showed up, it seemed like he was quite content in his solitary brooding.

Jess walked back into the room then, and while she couldn't be certain, it almost looked like he was fighting a smile. Had he possibly heard their conversation? She fought the heat that was rising to her cheeks at the very thought. So what if he had? She was proud of who she was.

"Well, if May Belle is done antagonizing you, I was thinking we could head upstairs?" he offered tentatively, and Leslie could tell he was refraining from using any words to indicate they'd be alone anywhere.

May Belle looked affronted at his comment, and Leslie stifled a laugh. "I was not 'antagonizing' her! We were talking about boys," she replied with an indignant huff, crossing her arms and turning her nose up to prove her point.

Jess merely rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Come on, let's go," he went to grab Leslie without really thinking about it and started dragging her upstairs.

"It was a delicious dinner, Mrs. Aarons!" Leslie called out to the woman who had just walked in to the living room, and she gave a smile in return.

Once upstairs, Jess turned around to look at her. "Sorry about…well, that. They're not used to company," he offered a sheepish smile, and Leslie softly laughed.

"Don't be sorry, I like them," she offered a reassuring smile, trying to convince him that she hadn't been bothered by all the questions. That seemed to do the trick as he sighed in relief, before stopping at a door.

"It's kind of…really messy, so I hope you don't mind…" he trailed off, unsure, as he opened the door.

His room was cluttered, but she liked it. There were art supplies scattered everywhere, and it was clear what his passion was. She also made note of the textbooks that were currently functioning as other things, and Leslie wanted to laugh at how typical that was for Jess to neglect his books. She also noticed that the last time she had seen his room, May Belle's bed had been in there too. It looked like he had this room to himself now, no doubt because Brenda and Ellie were gone. His room looked more like a studio loft with a bunch of work, both finished and unfinished, against the walls.

Leslie remembered the way he drew when they were younger. It was great, for a twelve-year-old, and it was certainly better than anything she could have done. But what she was seeing then, it surpassed any expectations she ever had for Jess's artistic ability. "Did you do all of these?" she asked incredulously, looking at his art.

He was visibly uncomfortable, and she figured his need to remain secretive about his talent was partly due to the lack of herself in his earlier years. "Uh, yeah. They're not anything special really, just things I do when I get bored and stuff…" he was unsure, and she turned back to him, smiling.

"They're amazing." It was all she needed to say, because he lit up when he realized that someone besides his teacher actually liked his work.

"Thanks," he responded warmly, meeting her gaze for a moment. Quickly Jess broke eye contact, looking back at one of his paintings. Maybe it was the lighting, but Leslie could have sworn his cheeks were red.

"Hey, you wanna see something cool?" he then asked after getting an idea, his eyes brightening. Leslie nodded in response, smiling in return. Jess walked over to the window and opened it, before motioning for her to join him. While Leslie had no idea what he was up to, she walked over to where he was and noticed that his window looked out over a stretch of roof.

"Ladies first," he joked lightly, motioning for her to go through the window.

Leslie gave him a look. "We're…going out there?"

"Yeah, unless you're too scared," he responded with a smirk.

It did the trick because Leslie folded her arms across her chest. "I am _not_ scared," she retorted, climbing out the window. She had always been a climber; the girl spent a good deal of her childhood climbing trees, and even after a fall and a fractured wrist she had no qualms when it came to scaling things.

Once on the roof she turned to wait for Jess, not knowing where to go. He followed through the window and then stood beside her. "This way," this time Jess took the lead and carefully walked over a small peak on the roof.

Leslie followed, and immediately knew why he had brought her out here. At the particular point they were at the roof was flat and overlooked the vast expanse of the forest. There weren't any roof peaks above them and there was a perfect view of the night sky. That was something she always loved about being out in "the country" – without the bright lights of the city, the stars were incredible.

"I come out here to think a lot," he offered, sitting down on the roof. "Even with having my own room, it's rare that I ever have time to myself. Someone's always asking me what I'm doing, or bothering me about something. No one finds me out here though."

Leslie joined him, sitting down on the roof. It was night time, and it was dark out, but all the stars and the moon illuminated the land around them in a spectacular way. "It's beautiful," she commented quietly, watching the treetops rustle with the autumn breeze.

His eyes were on her. "Yeah." Jess then looked out over the forest.

Another fall wind blew through, and Leslie shivered involuntarily. It would be winter soon, which meant their running excursions would have to be put on hold.

Suddenly she felt warmth on her shoulders. "Here," Jess mumbled, and she noticed he had unzipped his jacket to put around her. Leslie would have given it back if she thought she even had a chance at getting Jess to not be chivalrous; instead, she drew the jacket around her body, smiling softly.

"Thanks," she responded quietly. Their eyes met for a moment, and Leslie felt like that heavy burden that weighed on her heart was temporarily lifted. In that moment it didn't matter that she had died, lost her best friend, and come back to this strange world that didn't make sense. Their bond was stronger than this twist in reality.

At some point Leslie's head ended up on his shoulder. They remained like that for what felt like eternity.


	12. Blackout

AN: So I'm going to start doing some time lapse. While I have a lot of ideas, I want this story to seem plausible, and it wouldn't all happen within a month's time realistically. Well, I guess it could, but I want time to develop the relationships of the characters further so…yeah. I'll be doing some summaries and recaps throughout the next few chapters, only hitting highlights.

I hope this story isn't getting too boring. I do have some exciting things planned, but plots have to be eased in slowly.

Let me know what you think! Feedback is GREATLY appreciated.

Oh, just as a disclaimer - I rarely proofread these days. These chapters are getting to be about twelve pages or so in Word, and I skim back through usually, but I don't sit down and edit. I don't think I'm making errors, but I might be. I always look out for the colorful squiggly lines. That said, there shouldn't be anything too wrong.

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><p>Jess walked her home that night. They could have taken the truck, but there was something about the night that caused him to impulsively decide to walk. While Leslie wasn't too keen on the idea of him walking home at such a late hour, he ended up winning.<p>

He had grabbed another jacket for himself, on the way out of his room. Jess didn't mind at all that Leslie kept his.

They had stayed out on the roof late – probably much later than they should have. The moment her head was on his shoulder he hadn't wanted to budge. He had to constantly remind himself that they were just friends, and it was a friendly gesture. That didn't mean that Jess had to fully believe it, though.

They ran again, that Saturday morning. Jess noticed that it was starting to get cooler, as they were approaching October.

When he got home that day he walked in on Joyce Ann desperately trying to tell May Belle something.

"I'm telling you she is!"

"No she's not, Joyce. I don't know where you got that idea from, but she's not."

Jess was planning on ignoring the whole fiasco but was quickly dragged into the argument by Joyce Ann.

"Jess, tell her it's true." The seven-year-old was pleading with her older brother, wanting to make her sister understand.

"Tell her what's true, Joyce?" he asked casually, getting a glass of water from the kitchen.

"Tell her that Leslie's an angel." Her statement caused Jess to freeze, and only when his glass started spilling over from overfilling it with water did he realize and snap out of it.

"Joyce, Leslie can't be an angel. Angels aren't alive the way we are." He wasn't sure what had prompted the girl to think such a thing, and he certainly wasn't going to dwell on the idea of Leslie being a level above everyone else – even if he kind of felt like it, in a good way.

Joyce Ann huffed. "I'm telling you, she's an angel. I remember seeing her. She used to visit us, when things were different." The girl stomped off then, clearly not allowing her opinion to be swayed by her siblings who disagreed with her.

Jess only shrugged it off, not thinking much more on the matter. It was always like Joyce to say weird things that didn't make sense. She was, after all, only seven.

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><p>October came quickly, and not without a load of schoolwork. Jess found himself marginally swamped with assignments, and he was extremely grateful to have Leslie help check over everything and proofread essays. They kept up their pattern throughout the week, and usually spent time together on the weekends. It was no surprise when people from school saw them together somewhere, but they were also beginning to spend time with other friends in a group outside of school.<p>

That was how Jess somehow managed to find himself in this particular predicament. He had to get a Halloween costume for a party.

He didn't even like parties. At least, he didn't think so. Jess admittedly hadn't been to many (any, but he wouldn't tell people that) parties during his life, and he was certainly not looking forward to this one. The only reason he was really going was because Leslie wouldn't stop asking him to until he agreed. While she was ready to celebrate in a costume, she didn't want to go if he wasn't going to be there. Which, of course, stroked his ego enough to cause him to say yes.

And now here he was, trying to figure out what he could possibly be for a ridiculous party he didn't want to attend.

After browsing through the seemingly endless shop, he came across a set of vampire teeth that actually looked pretty good for being so cheap. That was when Jess decided to go with a very overdone and easy to put together costume.

He picked up a set of frosty blue contacts to go with the teeth. Instead of trying to find something to be a good Dracula costume, he settled on a simple fitted black shirt and black jeans. He could make his hair look weird, or something. Costumes weren't his thing.

Jess had agreed to meet Leslie at her house, where they would go to the party together. Not together, together, just ride together. He had to constantly tell himself that, even though he was pretty sure he was ready to punch any guy who tried to make a move on her. Purely because he was protective of his friend, of course.

He figured she'd dress up as some storybook character or something smart. He hadn't been prepared for what was to come.

Judy answered the door when Jess knocked, ushering him inside. "She'll be down in just a minute. Can I get you anything to drink?"

Jess politely declined and sat down on one of the chairs in the front room, waiting for Leslie to come down stairs.

Only a few minutes later, he heard her voice echoing through the hall right upstairs. "Sorry! I couldn't get my hair right." Jess looked up just in time to see her surface at the top of the stairs and he had to struggle to not let his mouth fall open right there.

The first thing he noticed was that there was definitely a gap between her top and skirt where her smooth skin was visible. It wasn't a lot at all, but Jess couldn't help but see it. Probably because the green top fit skin-tight and lacked straps. The jagged bottom edge nearly met the green jagged skirt that hugged her hips and ended about halfway down her thighs. She had a set of translucent wings on her back with green detailing, and her hair was pulled up elegantly into a bun on the top of her head, accentuating her neck and shoulders.

"So, how do I look?" Leslie shook him from whatever trance he had been under as she spun around on the top landing before walking down the stairs.

"Uhh…like Tinkerbell?" It took a while to get the words out, and he knew it wasn't a compliment, which was probably what she wanted to hear. But, Jess knew that if he tried to tell her exactly how he felt about her choice in costume, she'd probably hit him.

He could see that his lack of outward emotion toward her choice bothered her for a split second, but she bounced back fast. "Well…good. That's who I was going for." She smiled regardless, getting down to where he was. "And you're supposed to be…"

He smiled, showing the pointed teeth that he had stuck in, and widened his eyes so she would notice the color change.

"Oh, a vampire. Cool! Your eyes are really freaky." If she had thought his costume was lame, he wouldn't have known. She seemed genuinely impressed that he came up with a costume by himself, and that he was at least attempting to partake in the rituals associated with the weird holiday.

"Thanks," he grinned, showing the fangs once more. "You ready?"

She nodded, having a hard time containing her excitement. "Let's go!" she all but dragged him to the door, and he laughed, following behind obediently.

He grabbed the door before she could, and managed a small victory when he opened the passenger door for her in his truck.

Jess could feel the energy radiating off of Leslie as they drove in to town. She was talking animatedly about how excited she was, and he thought he caught something about how she hadn't ever been to a real Halloween party before, which surprised him.

"Wait, wait," he interrupted, causing her to pause. "You've never been to one of these before?"

"No," Leslie confirmed, shaking her head. "I've never had good enough friends to be invited to one, I guess."

"Oh. I haven't either, same reason. Of course, I don't think I would have gone even if I had been invited without you pushing me to agree," he teased, grinning.

While neither knew what was in store for them, they had speculated – and had been completely wrong. It appeared to be at some sort of club scene, and they could hear the music from the parking lot.

"Well, here goes nothing," Jess said with apprehension, and the two linked arms as they entered.

It was dark with a lot of alternating flashing lights. There were people everywhere. Most of them were dancing, although there was a good amount of people who had migrated to tables. Jess noticed a lot of people had plastic cups, and even though he was pretty inexperienced, he wasn't dumb. Someone – probably a lot of someones – had brought alcohol in. Immediately he regretted his decision of going to this stupid thing; then again, if he hadn't agreed, Leslie would have come anyway. And he definitely wasn't going to let anyone take advantage of her, especially with so many people being out of control of their actions.

Leslie, however, seemed completely unfazed by the whole scenario and grabbed Jess, dragging him to the dance floor. While Jess would be the first person to admit he wasn't a dancer, he was suddenly very interested in keeping Leslie occupied. It might have had something to do with the various male eyes that followed her as she made her way through the crowd.

The first friends they encountered were Garrett and Sarah, and Jess couldn't be more grateful for their timing. Leslie was ready to get some water, and Jess was just happy to not have to dance for a while. The four made their way to the corner away from the DJ so they could talk without screaming.

Somewhere along the way they stopped for water before continuing the path. Once at the table they all sat down, and Leslie took a sip of her drink – only to spit it right back out.

"What is this?" she spluttered, making a pretty awful face. Jess knew then that she hadn't gotten water, and he carefully set his untouched cup down casually, not interested in drinking it anymore.

Garrett reached over and took the cup, taking a good swig of it. "Vodka. Tastes like Smirnoff, pretty cheap stuff. Then again, we are in high school, so…" Garrett laughed, handing the cup back to Leslie. She didn't take it though, and Jess could tell she was thoroughly disgusted. Garrett shrugged and began drinking it himself, unfazed.

"I don't know how you can drink that, it's disgusting." Jess had been silent throughout the whole exchange, not having a particular view on the matter.

Jess wasn't the type to offer out information to anyone who wanted to listen, but this hadn't been his first run-in with alcohol. He made the mistake of taking his father's forgotten bottle of Jack Daniels that had been left in the back of the store once, when he was sixteen. Jess couldn't remember much – just a burning sensation, being way too amused by Spongebob, and puking his guts out at about three in the morning. He swore he wouldn't drink that much again after, and while he wasn't opposed to enjoying something that didn't taste like stomach bile, he definitely wasn't going to drink outside of the privacy and safety of his home.

"Aw, that's cute, she's so innocent," Sarah had apparently been drinking a good amount, and while Jess had taken offense to the condescending tone, Leslie let it roll right off.

"I'm going to go find the bathroom." Leslie stood up then, and Jess watched her make her way to the bathrooms, seemingly unharmed. Once she was in, he turned back to the two people remaining at the table with him. They were both grinning, and it made Jess uncomfortable.

"What…?" He asked slowly, looking between the two.

"Oh, nothing. Just waiting for you two to finally get on with it and go make out."

Jess stared incredulously at Sarah. "You know it's not like that. We're-"

"Just friends, we know," the pair finished in tandem, exasperated. Garrett rolled his eyes.

"We're not stupid, man. Your feelings for her are about as inconspicuous as an elephant in a pink tutu." While the image he had created was amusing, Jess couldn't help but shift uncomfortably. He didn't have those kind of feelings for Leslie, did he? The hell with it, of course he did. She was gorgeous, she was the first person who was nice to him, and they were best friends. But were his feelings that obvious?

"That's beside the point, though," Sarah interjected, and Jess shifted his attention to her. "The real question is, what are you going to do about it?"

Jess gave his signature shrug. "Nothing. She doesn't feel the same way."

The two shared a knowing look and then both rolled their eyes. "Right," Garrett said in a non-convinced tone. "Well, you keep telling yourself that while your 'not-girlfriend' is getting hit on by all the creeps around here who have had too much to drink."

It took a while for Jess to realize that Garrett's statement had been his cue to turn around. Leslie was in the process of making her way back to the table, but her path had been intercepted by some guy who was attempting to pull her out onto the dance floor. Even from a little ways away, Jess could tell that she was trying to get away. And that caused Jess to see red.

He was lucky that he was significantly larger than the other guy. While it wouldn't have stopped Jess by any means, he had noticed that people with alcohol in their system were much more brave than usual. But none of that mattered at the moment, because all Jess was determined to do was get Leslie away from the guy, no matter what it took.

Leslie hadn't seen him coming, so when he approached the scene, he could see relief wash over her features. In spite of the anger that was rising very quickly in him, Jess remained calm.

"Hey, I was wondering where you went." His tone was casual, and Leslie looked confused. Oh well. It was good that she couldn't _always_ read his mind. He then reached down and grabbed her hand, making a move to lead her away as if he hadn't once noticed the other guy.

"Uh, excuse me? I was talking to her first. Who do you think you are, coming in here and taking my catch? What's your problem?" The guy had gotten in their way, blocking their path. Jess sighed, and gave an apologetic look to Leslie, before letting go of her hand.

"Who do I think I am?" Jess laughed once, but it was a hollow laugh with no real humor behind it. He drew himself up to full height and stared the guy down. "I'm the guy she came with, and I'm the guy she's going home with. What's _your_ problem?"

It was probably a combination of his muscular stature, his eerily calm voice, and the creepy contacts that made him that much more intimidating than usual. Nevertheless, the guy sulked away, muttering a "whatever" in his wake. It was a victory, and thankfully it didn't come to blows. Jess knew he'd have knocked the guy out defending Leslie's integrity, but he was happy he didn't have to.

He turned around and was greeted by a smiling Leslie. "Thank you," her voice was quiet and drowned out by the music, but he could read the mouthed words and knew that he had made the right decision.

"Do you want to dance some more?" Who was this person controlling his actions? Jess wouldn't have ever volunteered to dance a few months ago, much less ask someone else to join him. Leslie lit up at his question though, and he instantly felt good for offering. When they turned to look at the dance floor, however, they weren't prepared for what they saw.

The alcohol was taking its effect, and Jess grimly noted that most of the people "dancing" at that point were grinding up on each other. There had even been a few girls who had pulled chairs out to the dance floors, and he instantly knew that they were better off leaving. They looked at each other, and shared the same idea. Without even as much as a second thought Jess grabbed her hand again and led her away, heading for the door. He'd have taken the time to say goodbye to Garrett and Sarah if they hadn't been one of the pairs out on the dance floor.

When they exited the building, Leslie's demeanor changed. She looked – well, bummed.

"I think that was the worst decision in the history of decision-making I could have made." He could hear the tone of defeat in her voice, and shook his head.

"It wasn't all bad. I mean, it was fun at the beginning, you know?" Jess was pretty bad at pep talking, and it showed. Leslie snorted in response, clearly not believing him.

"Yeah, well, next time I suggest we go to a party, remind me of this. Okay?" They had reached his truck then, and he grabbed the door for her.

He only nodded, not knowing what else he could say to change the tone of the night. While Jess would certainly try to purge a lot of the events from that night out of his head, he couldn't help but admit that a few good things had come from it. One: he had intimidated a guy without even resorting to violence. Two: he realized he liked dancing, if it was with Leslie. Three: he got to silently admire Leslie's incredibly flattering costume and not get hit for it.

While getting in to the driver's side of the truck, Jess heard her start talking. "Wow, it's only nine thirty. We weren't even there for that long and everyone's trashed." He heard her sigh then, and he shrugged, not really sure how to respond to that.

He started the car, considering his options very carefully. It would be the perfect opportunity for him to share – then again, Jess hadn't ever been good at that. But, he remembered that girls seemed to like that kind of thing. And they were already at a low for the night, so he couldn't do too much damage, right?

"You know, I did that once." Great Aarons, way to start. But he had to talk, before he chickened out. "I mean, not out at a party or anything. One time my dad forgot he had left a bottle of whiskey in the back room, probably because he had been drinking it when he set it down back there. "Anyway, I took it. I don't know why, I guess I was so tired of following his rules and I thought it would be fun." He shrugged, not daring to look at her at that point. "Maybe it was at first, but it wasn't worth it. I ended up puking my guts out and sleeping in the bathroom by the toilet."

Leslie was quiet, and Jess panicked. He had screwed up royally. Why had he gone and told her that? She must have thought the worst of him now. Had he not been responsible for both of their lives at that moment, he'd have hit his head repeatedly on his steering wheel.

"I've tried alcohol before. Never enough to have that happen, but my parents have let me taste things." He could see out of the corner of his eye that she had curled up in the seat, and he wondered if she was cold. "I just don't ever want to be somewhere, out, and not in control of my actions. It's really scary to think about." Jess would have sighed in relief had she not heard him. At least she didn't appear as though she was judging him – she didn't even comment on what he had said at all, which made him feel better.

"Well, I definitely don't have the desire to try it again," Jess laughed, and while it was a little out of place, it broke the awkward tension of their conversation. "It seemed like just about every person in that place was out of control."

Leslie nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Thank you for getting rid of that guy." It was the second time she showed her gratitude, and he held back the need to grin from ear to ear. "Hoager's comments are mild compared to what that guy was saying." That caused the feeling to immediately dissipate, being replaced by anger again. Jess had been fortunate enough to have not heard the conversation that had occurred moments before he had approached the scene. If he had, Jess imagined he'd have bashed the guy's head in. Still, as much as his curiosity was piqued, he certainly wasn't going to push Leslie on the matter and he didn't think he really wanted to know.

"Any time," he responded, flashing a smile in her direction. She smiled in return, and turned the radio up, no doubt a means to make the night better. He sang along with her all the way back to their street, and the mood had been lightened significantly.

It started raining on them about halfway home. The rain began as a light drizzle, but as they kept driving it got heavier. Eventually they heard thunder and started seeing lightning in the sky. Jess remembered in that moment that Leslie had said something about not liking storms, but the music seemed to be distracting her enough for the time being.

It was when they approached the entrance of their secluded street that they noticed something wrong. "Hey, do you see that tree?" Jess was the one to interrupt Leslie's rendition of "Hotel California," pointing at the corner of their turn.

A rather large branch on a tree had split and was starting to fall. He had no idea if it had been lightning or other reasons – preferably other reasons, lightning striking wasn't something he wanted to think about. The branch was pushing down on some lines that ran back into their neighborhood. "That doesn't look good. The lines don't look broken though," Leslie commented, watching as they turned onto their street and drove by.

Not ten seconds later they noticed that Leslie's house looked suspiciously dark. Leslie's parents weren't home, something Jess had learned of earlier that week. They apparently had also been invited to a party, but it wasn't in Lark Creek. And while he was aware of the house's current vacancy, the outdoor lights should have been working.

Leslie confirmed it moments after. "Looks like the power's out." Her voice was soft, and she almost sounded worried.

That, of course, meant the power was out at his house too, since they were on the same line. The only difference was that his family was at home. The idea of Leslie being alone in a house during a storm and blackout wasn't too appealing.

He could tell the same thoughts were going through her head, because she wasn't too keen on jumping out of the truck.

"Here," he grabbed a jacket that had been in his truck and handed it to her. It wasn't an umbrella, but at least it would keep her from getting rained on.

Leslie took it and smiled gratefully for a moment, before her brow furrowed in thought. "Jess, can I ask you something?"

Confused by her random question, he blinked a few times before answering. "Uh, sure."

She inhaled deeply, something he noticed. "I know this is probably going to come out wrong, it's just – well, my parents won't be back until the morning, and I mean I've been overnight alone before but it's storming and I don't have any power and we're out in the middle of nowhere and-"

"I'll stay here with you. If you want." Jess had been smiling a little from all the rambling, and he felt like it was best to just jump in rather than let her continue. "I know I wouldn't want to be in a creepy old house by myself during a storm with no power, so I can't imagine you wanting to."

She looked relieved and smiled, which caused Jess to smile more. Then, however, he was thinking about the fact that he had just agreed to stay overnight with Leslie in an empty house. Trying to quickly purge that thought from his mind, he got out of his truck and came around to open her door.

She, of course, was already halfway out of the truck when he got to her, and he sighed but smiled anyway. "Here," she returned, offering to throw part of the jacket over his head. He laughed, but shrunk down to her size to comply. They ran up to her front door like that, and then they had an awning over their heads so Jess took the jacket while Leslie reached under the doormat for the house key.

"Nice hiding spot," he teased, which earned him a look as she unlocked the door. "What? I'm just saying that's like, the first place someone would check."

"Gee thanks, because it's not already bad enough with a storm and a power outage, let's add some psycho serial killers in the mix too." Her sarcastic statement promptly earned laughter, and after a moment Leslie joined in too.

Walking in to her house at night wasn't usually creepy, but the stillness of everything made him uncomfortable. He was actually pretty glad he was staying with her – he'd have been up all night worrying otherwise. Jess would never admit to it though.

"Hey, I should probably call my mom and let her know so she doesn't freak out." He still hadn't figured out what he was going to tell his mom. Somehow, it didn't seem like a very good idea to tell her he was staying in a house overnight alone with a girl.

"Alright. I'll go find the flashlights and light some candles." Leslie was using her phone as a flashlight as she made her way into the kitchen, and Jess pulled out his phone, calling his mom's cell.

"Hey mom," he greeted once she picked up.

"_Oh Jess, I'm so glad you called. I was about to call you, the weather's getting ugly and we're without power here at home."_

"Actually, I was calling about that. The storm I mean, I didn't realize the power was out at home." _Nice going Aarons, could you be more conspicuous?_ "I was wondering if you would be okay with me staying here for the night. At Garrett's, I mean. The roads are looking bad and I'm worried about some of the low places that are quick to flood, and this doesn't look like it's going to end soon." Surprisingly the lie came out easier than he had anticipated, but he quickly caught himself from celebrating prematurely.

"_Yes, I think that would be best. You stay there, and come home in the morning." _

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Mom." Jess was grinning when he hung up the phone, glad he had pulled off the lie. Then again, it was easier when he wasn't face to face with anyone, because he was sure his face was a tell-all.

He realized then that he'd need to move his truck so no one saw it if they got an early start in the morning. "Hey Les, I'm going to pull my truck around back if that's alright, I don't really want it out on the street," he spoke loudly, figuring his voice would echo in the extremely quiet house.

She had stepped back with a flashlight, and was frozen in the doorway. "What?" There was a tone of shock in her voice, and he looked at her funny. Hadn't she heard every word he had said? It wasn't like there were any other sounds in the house to drown him out.

"I'm going to go move my truck," he repeated a little slower, confused. She didn't respond. "Is everything alright…?"

"What?" that seemed to shake her, and she slowly nodded. "Oh, yeah. It's just-I haven't heard that nickname in years. I guess it just surprised me, is all."

"Oh. Sorry, it just sort of…came out. I won't call you that again, if you don't like it." He wasn't sure why shortening her name was such a big deal, but he definitely didn't want to say anything that upset her or bothered her.

"No, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting it. I like it." He could see her reassuring smile in the faint light, and smiled back.

"Okay, well I'm going to go move my truck real quick." Jess then ran back out to his truck and moved it around to the backside of the house, away from the street. While he was confident that he'd get up early enough to go home before either of his parents left, he didn't want to take that chance. If he was caught in the lie and they realized he stayed the night with Leslie, he wouldn't have ever heard the end of it.

He all but ran back inside, and Jess could tell she was a little startled by his appearance. It would have been a really rough night if she had to stay there by herself.

"I'm going to go change," Leslie excused herself, heading toward the stairs. "Do you want some sweat pants or anything?"

Jess laughed a little. "I seriously doubt you'd have any that fit me."

"I probably don't, but I bet my dad does. I'll grab some." With that she was up the stairs, and he watched as the small glimmer from the flashlight flickered out of sight.

Jess noticed that she had lit some candles around the living room. He had to remind himself that it was because the lights were out, and nothing more. Candles were just so damn romantic.

But Jess knew better. Even though it was a struggle – hey, he was eighteen – he was smart. There was no way he'd ever make a move under the current circumstances. That was just asking for trouble. Like trying to kiss a girl right after another guy broke her heart. It was taking advantage of weakness, and he couldn't bring himself to do that.

Even still, the idea of kissing a girl brought him to the thought of kissing Leslie, and he had a very hard time getting that image out of his head. Again, eighteen-year-old male with serious pent up sexual frustration.

Her reappearance startled him because he hadn't seen the light of the flashlight. "Here we go," her voice rang through the empty house, and he quickly turned around. He could barely see the top of her head because there were blankets and pillows piled up in her arms. How had she managed to get down the stairs?

He didn't have any time to think about that because she promptly tripped over one of the blankets that had been dragging the floor. The pillows and blankets were falling, but Jess moved to catch Leslie to prevent her from falling on her face.

She managed to catch herself on his arms, and although Jess had to step back to keep himself from falling too, neither hit the ground.

"Thanks, that could have been bad," Leslie looked up, and suddenly Jess realized that they were in very close proximity. He also noted somewhere in the back of his head that she was standing again but hadn't let go of his arms.

"Uh, yeah, no problem," he muttered out, meeting her gaze. They remained that way for a few moments before Leslie moved back. He couldn't decide if he was relieved or let down.

After rummaging through the pile, she pulled out the pants she had brought down. "Here, these should fit well enough." He nodded, taking them from her. Jess then looked around, realizing he didn't know where the closest bathroom was. The only one he knew about was the one connected to Leslie's room, and he really didn't feel like going all the way up there.

She seemed to know what he was looking for. "Oh, um, here, I'll just turn around so you don't have to go upstairs." Leslie then turned away from him and walked toward the kitchen. "Actually, I'm really thirsty so I'm going to get something to drink. Do you want anything?"

Jess realized what she was implying and also turned around, moving to the corner of the living room where he was partially concealed by a couch. "Water would be great actually, thanks," he called out, quickly changing pants.

She came back in with two glasses after having given him enough time, and he took the one she held out to him. He also noticed that she hadn't returned with only water.

When he saw the Oreos, he grinned. "I see you've restocked."

She laughed at his comment. "Absolutely. It's a disease I have. I can't stop eating them." Leslie sat down on the floor then, and Jess joined her.

She grabbed the pillows that had previously fallen, tossing some to him along with a few blankets. Just how much had she carried all the way down stairs? It was a miracle she hadn't tripped and died.

They quickly broke into the Oreos, and the package lasted them until about midnight. They took the blackout in stride, and ended up playing games like 'twenty questions' and 'I have never.' Every once in a while there would be a loud rumble of thunder or crack of lightning, and he could see Leslie flinch. For the most part though, Jess could tell his presence was appreciated and he helped keep her mind off the storm.

Eventually they fell asleep.

When Jess woke up that morning, Leslie's hand was in his own.

She looked peaceful when she slept. He realized it was creepy to watch her sleep, so he quickly changed back into his pants and left, after waking her only to say goodbye. He got home before his parents had been out that morning, so they never questioned his true whereabouts.

One thing was for sure – Jess liked blackouts a lot more now.


	13. Mistletoe

AN: Time lapse again. I intend to get through the holidays in a quick pace, only focusing on certain events involving them. I have a plan, I promise! I do hope that all you readers out there have caught the subtle references I've made.

I know a handful of you have asked if I'm going to include Terabithia. Let me cryptically reply with the fact that I haven't forgotten what the whole book is based around – you haven't seen the last of Terabithia. I'm just choosing to develop the character relationships right now. There are many things in the future for Jess and Leslie that will return to the overall plotline, I'm just taking my time with introducing them all.

* * *

><p>As November came, winter was upon them. The temperatures were dropping, and while they hadn't seen snow yet, it was definitely too cold for outdoor activities. Most of their track periods were held in the gym and weight room, much to Leslie's chagrin. She hated going to the weight room. The only redeeming quality was when Giles wanted them to do Yoga and Pilates. She was the only one capable of bending her body the correct way, and had to help everybody else.<p>

November meant Thanksgiving, and Leslie ended up going out of town to visit her grandparents. She didn't see Jess for a whole week. Even though they texted almost constantly, she couldn't help but feel extremely lonely without him around.

They didn't have any time for a reception on her return. December meant mid-terms, and mid-terms meant a lot of sleepless nights while they did all the ridiculous assignments on top of having to cram all the information they had learned from the first of the year into their study sessions. They had upped the number of study nights during the week, and they still had no time to do anything else. Leslie knew if it made her head want to explode, that Jess was probably on the verge of a meltdown. Since when did some stupid tests cause this much anxiety?

Finally the day had come. Leslie felt really good about all her tests, and when the day was over she let out a huge sigh of relief. At least now they had some time off to enjoy the winter break. She met up with Jess after school and found out he also felt pretty good about his tests, but Leslie knew neither of them would be completely satisfied until the grades came in the mail a week later.

They had agreed to wait to open the letters with each other. Over the week of waiting Leslie had become more anxious, even though she had initially felt pretty confident.

When the mail came that afternoon, Leslie could hardly contain her nerves. There it was, in a simple envelope. The tidy scrawl was crisp and clean, and there was no mistaking this letter for another. She could tell that the official school document was inside.

Five minutes of staring at it passed, and Leslie heard a knock at the door. It was clear who was on the other side, because he didn't give her any time at all before he started alternating between knocking and ringing. Clearly, Jess was as nervous as she.

Leslie rushed to the door and opened it without hesitation. Jess quickly came in, holding a very similar envelope in his hands. "I don't know if I can open it. What if I failed? My parents will kill me." He was nervously talking then, and even though Leslie was equally concerned about her own grades, she had to be calm for Jess's sake.

"I'm sure you didn't. Come on, let's open them. Together." Leslie gave him a reassuring smile in spite of her own anxiety, and it seemed to work to an extent. He took a deep breath and nodded, and they both proceeded to open their letters at the same time.

When Leslie reached in to pull out her grades, she held a breath. It was, however, quickly released as she caught sight of the sea of A's that adorned her otherwise plain paper. She then looked up at Jess, waiting to see his reaction.

At first it didn't look so good. His face was blank, and Leslie could see a hint of disappointment. Had he done poorly? She thought he'd have aced his midterms, just from the strenuous amount of studying they did.

Then suddenly a smile cracked at his features, and he looked up, handing her the sheet. Leslie looked at him questioningly for a moment but took it regardless. Jess got all A's on his midterms, which meant that his grades consisted of low A's and high B's. Leslie grinned, looking back up.

"Congratulations!" But the word became muffled as he pulled her into a hug and she found her face buried in his shoulder.

"I've never gotten grades like this before. I've been a straight C student for as long as I can remember. I don't even know how to thank you."

"Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't breathe." Leslie laughed into his shirt, and he quickly let go, giving her a sheepish grin.

"Uh, sorry," he mumbled, and Leslie could tell he was embarrassed.

She simply laughed it off, which caused him to join in. "It's really alright. And just to be clear, I only helped you study. You're the one who took the tests and earned the grade."

Jess shook his head. "Yeah but I wouldn't have gotten anywhere near making these grades if you hadn't helped me study. I have to repay you somehow."

This time, it was Leslie who shook her head. "The fact that you're really happy is payment enough. Seriously, I don't want anything. I helped you because I wanted to, because we're friends." The words should have been a comfort to her, but Leslie felt them sour a little in her mouth. That was all they were. And the fact that he wanted to pay her made it feel like it had been a service, not something done out of friendship.

Leslie knew though that it was a pride thing for Jess. The male mind was way too confusing.

Jess sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I know that. At least…at least let me buy you food, or something. Please?"

The puppy dog brown eyes were not missed by Leslie, and she sighed, knowing she was caving from the look. "Fine, alright," she threw her hands up in mock surrender, knowing it was best to just agree. Jess probably wouldn't have stopped trying otherwise.

His face lit up when he realized he had won, and Leslie smiled too. Especially because the more she thought about it, the more it almost sounded like a date. But it wasn't, she'd have to remind herself that constantly.

In fact, Leslie reminded herself every day leading up to the night that Jess was planning on taking her out, as payment for helping him study. Yeah, it was just Jess returning the favor in a way he could. It wasn't anything more than that.

That didn't stop the butterflies in her stomach as she anxiously waited, after having a lot of difficulty picking out an outfit. It wasn't a date.

When Jess showed up that evening, she knew she had chosen a good outfit. His lack of coherent response for a few seconds was proof.

The night turned out to be good. They had gone to a diner in the town, and even though Leslie had initially been nervous, it quickly faded away. They spent a good part of the night making fun of some of the people who were also there, and Leslie had almost forgotten the pressure of knowing it wasn't a date.

On the way home it started snowing. It had been pretty cold the past few weeks, but this was the first snowfall. Leslie wondered if they were going to have a white Christmas.

When they pulled up to her house, Jess hesitated, not ready to open the door. "Tonight was fun."

Leslie laughed in response, not sure where the statement came from. "Well yeah, isn't it always fun when we hang out?"

"Uh, no, I mean yeah it's always fun when we hang out but that's not what I meant. I…nevermind." He sighed, opening the door to get out.

Leslie couldn't help but feel disappointed. But she wouldn't push him. She got out before he could get to the door again, but she was pretty sure Jess was used to it.

The walk to her door began silent and awkward, and Leslie couldn't help but wonder why he had gotten so quiet. Just as she was about to break the tension, she heard something faint. It almost sounded like…a bark? She looked around, trying to figure out if it was just in her head.

When she looked at Jess though, she could tell he heard it too. "Do you hear that?"

Leslie nodded. "Yeah, it sounds kind of like…a dog. But we don't have any dogs around here."

There was a rustle in the bushes by her house then, and they both paused, watching curiously. A black shadowy figure leapt out, and Leslie only had a moment to process before she felt something pushing against her legs.

There was a little black and white dog jumping on her. His tail was wagging, and even in the dark she could see him, but she couldn't believe it. "PT?" She was completely shocked. There was no way. But here he was, albeit a little older, and it was like he knew her.

"You…know this dog?" Jess sounded shocked too, and the dog quickly moved to him, jumping up on his legs. Leslie felt a tug at her heart. At least PT remembered.

Leslie didn't have time to struggle with that pain again though. She had to come up with an excuse, and fast. "Um, yeah, when we first moved here there was a family selling some dogs on the side of the road. And PT was one of them. We just clicked I guess. I asked my dad for him but he said no. I don't have any idea how he managed to get all the way out here." It was believable enough, and Jess seemed satisfied with the lie.

Jess had been petting PT cautiously, but when Leslie looked back at the dog he quickly changed his focus again and came back to Leslie. Without thinking about it she picked the dog up, which earned a weird look from Jess. "What are you doing?"

"Well he can't stay outside, can he? It's freezing out here." Her statement reminded her that she wasn't exactly dressed for the cold weather, and she was starting to feel the cold seep through her thin cardigan.

"But he probably belongs to someone." _Yeah, me. _Leslie thought silently. Still, Jess could have been right. Someone else could have bought him. She really didn't want to think about that. PT was a nice comfort that reminded her of her old life.

"So I'll make fliers. I'm not leaving a defenseless dog in this weather." She tucked the black and white mutt under her arm protectively, and Jess couldn't help but laugh a little, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever. Speaking of the cold, you should get inside before you get sick." As much as she would have loved to stay and bicker with him, she knew he was right. They walked up to the door then, and Leslie gave Jess an awkward hug due to the dog still being under one arm. "Thanks for tonight."

He laughed again, rubbing PT's head affectionately after pulling away. "You're welcome. Goodnight, Les."

She opened the door, stepping inside. "Goodnight."

After giving PT a much needed bath and explaining to her parents how she had acquired the dog, Leslie spent the majority of the night crying on her bed, remembering her old life. PT remained there with her the whole time.

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><p>Christmas was right around the corner and she didn't have time to worry about the past. Leslie had, even though she hated it with every fiber in her being, put up fliers around the town with a picture of PT on them. No one responded. And, she noted happily, her parents seemed to be getting attached to him and comfortable with him around the house.<p>

The Aarons and the Burkes both were travelling on Christmas day, so naturally Leslie was invited to dinner on Christmas Eve at the Aarons' household. Leslie was also invited to the candlelight vigil at Jess's church, and after much deliberation, she agreed to attend.

While church hadn't ever been a huge part of the Burke family (her parents associated themselves as agnostic, something she could only expect from science fiction writers) Leslie enjoyed the service. There was a lot of singing and talking, and she was fortunate to recognize the nativity scene as a group of church members reenacted it. Leslie was much more open to the idea now that she had seen what went on once you died, and she thought everything was beautiful.

Joyce Ann had, of course, demanded to sit by Leslie. When the angel appeared in the reenactment, the little girl squeezed Leslie's hand and whispered to her. "Like you." Leslie did her best to not react, knowing that Jess would have noticed otherwise and would have certainly asked about it later.

When the service was done the family of six went back to the Aarons' house. Leslie was a little nervous about their gift exchange. She had gotten Jess a nice set of oil paints and some brushes. She kept telling herself that he liked the idea once, and he'd like it again. Even still, she was nervous.

Once back in his house, his parents made themselves scarce as they went to put Joyce Ann to bed. She was animatedly talking about Santa Claus all the way up the stairs. Jess and Leslie walked over to the tree in his living room, taking a seat on the floor. "You go first," Leslie said with a smile as she handed him the present she had brought earlier.

He cautiously unwrapped it, and Leslie held back a laugh. "Nothing's going to jump out an eat you or anything," she teased, which earned her a look before he laughed and tore into the paper.

The look when he saw the gift was priceless. Leslie had seen the supplies he had in his room, and the only paint she noted were a few tubes of acrylics. He had to borrow the school's supplies of paint if he ever wanted to work in oils. He looked completely shocked at her gift.

"I-this…is wonderful. Thank you." She smiled, glad her present went over well. "Uh, here. Sorry, I'm bad at wrapping," he said after a moment of examining his new paints, handing her a gift.

It was a fairly thin, rectangular object, and Leslie laughed a little at the chaotic way it had been wrapped. She pulled the paper back, and immediately noticed that it was a canvas with a wooden frame. Knowing which side was the front then, she quickly unwrapped it and froze.

It was a painting he had made. The blond girl in the painting had an uncanny resemblance to herself, and she noted that the other figure had to have been Jess. It was simple, really. They were sitting in a clearing in the middle of a forest.

"I know it's not much but I…er, hope you like it," Jess interrupted her thoughts, and she could tell he was unsure if he had made a good choice.

"It's beautiful," she answered back, looking up at him. "I can't believe you made this. I don't even know how to thank you." He looked incredibly relieved that she appreciated the gift. They hugged then, although it was slightly awkward since they were still on the floor, and only separated when they heard May Belle's voice which sounded extremely close.

"Uh-oh, what's this?" There was a mischievous tone in her voice, and they looked to her questioningly. That was when Leslie's eyes travelled up her extended arm to her hand, which was hovering over their heads. And there was a suspicious green plant pinched between her fingers.

"May Belle, go away." Jess's voice was strained as he went to stand up, effectively moving out from under the plant. She could see a hint of red on his cheeks.

There was that feeling of disappointment again. Leslie thought she would have been able to ignore it by now. She got up, doing her best to simply laugh off the situation.

"Aw come on guys!" May Belle's whining was cut off by a pretty harsh look from Jess, and she skulked upstairs, disappointed that her plan hadn't worked out. Truthfully, Leslie was too. But she wouldn't show it.

"Sorry about…well, her." Jess still looked uncomfortable, and Leslie laughed.

"Don't worry about it." She grabbed the painting then, knowing that it was best to depart. "Well, we both have to get up really early so I think it's best if I go home." Leslie could have sworn for a moment that Jess looked upset at the idea of her leaving, but he nodded.

"Yeah." He walked her up to the door, grabbing her coat for her.

"You're coming to the New Years party right?" Leslie asked over her shoulder as she slid the coat on before opening the door. Her parents had been planning a party for New Years for a while. The whole Aarons household had been invited, but the majority of the family had politely declined. They would be getting back into town that day, and it made sense that Jack and Mary would want some time to recover from the long drive home. Jess, on the other hand, agreed to be there without a question.

"Of course. A week with only my family cramped in a car is enough. I need to be able to get away from them when I get home." He laughed, and Leslie joined in as they walked out to her car. She put the painting in the passenger seat and started to turn.

There was a patch of ice where she was standing, and Leslie hadn't anticipated losing her balance. Her hand shot out to grab a hold of the door but ended up falling forward. Jess had reached out to catch her, but her momentum coupled with their thick coats that restricted his movement and the snow on the ground caused him to fall as well. Fortunately his fall was cushioned by a deep layer of snow, and Leslie landed on top of Jess. "I am so sorry," Leslie apologized through the giggles, having found the whole situation extremely comical.

Jess couldn't help but laugh too, and that was when Leslie realized that she literally was on top of him, feeling his chest move, inches from his face.

Both of them had stopped laughing. Leslie felt her breath hitch in her throat as they didn't break eye contact, both realizing the predicament they were in.

After a few moments, Jess was the one to break the silence. "Leslie?"

"Yeah?" her voice was soft as she looked at Jess.

"I…I kind of can't get up until you do."

His words shook her from whatever weird state she was in. "Oh, right, sorry." Her first attempt at pushing herself up proved futile as her hands sunk in the snow, and she instead opted to roll to the side. Jess got up then, and held out a hand to help Leslie up.

She took his hand, not quite able to meet his gaze. "Thanks." They both smiled, and Leslie edged back to her car, knowing it was best if she left.

"Merry Christmas, Jess," she said in parting, ready to walk to the driver's side of the car. Jess caught her mid step though, and pulled her into a hug.

"Merry Christmas, Leslie."

She couldn't really remember driving home, or even getting up into her room. There was a big smile plastered on her face, and she knew that even though she wouldn't see him for a week she would be okay.

He had kissed her cheek.


	14. Fireworks

AN: Yay another chapter. Sorry it took a while, I've been travelling a lot. I know that last chapter was a bit shorter than the recent ones. I'm trying to keep them long and interesting, but I'm also trying to push the plot along. And include a little fluff along the way. Enjoy!

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><p>Travelling for Christmas had been a major struggle for the Aarons family.<p>

They were driving to North Carolina, where Jess's grandparents lived. They didn't get to see his mother's family often, and they never saw his dad's family. While his dad refused to discuss his childhood, Jess had found out through various conversations with his mom that his dad's father was a drunk who left them, and his mother never got over it. Apparently, Jack Aarons got out when he turned eighteen and never looked back. It didn't really surprise him too much; actually, Jess found it explained a lot, in regards to his father.

His mother's parents were…well, weird. They always smelled funny and smothered him in affection even though he didn't really know them. He supposed it was nice, though. His mother was an only child so they didn't have a son, and it was pretty clear that Jack wasn't about to let them treat him like the son they never had. So the responsibility had, inevitably, fallen to Jess. Oh well. At the very least, he got pretty good gifts from them.

This Christmas, for example, they gave him a hefty amount of cash for a gift – with the stipulation that it would be saved for college. He could tell that his father hadn't been pleased with the idea. Jack had expressed time and time again that they couldn't afford to send their children to college, and Jess was supposed to take over the shop. On top of that, he really didn't like anyone else "helping out" because he couldn't afford it. But he said nothing, which made Jess even more grateful for the gift. College was something he had thought about a lot, in light of recent events. With the grades he was making now, he could apply for scholarships. And that's what he had done, without telling a soul. Well, he told Leslie of course, but he told Leslie everything. She had been the one to help him fill out the application.

He also neglected to tell his parents about it because he was applying for art schools. His dad would be beside himself if he knew that Jess, his one and only son, was going to a school for art instead of sports. He could hear his dad's voice in his head, yelling about "fruity pansy schools." It wouldn't be a pretty sight.

Jess knew eventually he'd have to tell them. But he would assuredly put it off for as long as he could.

His dad got him a football and a jersey for the Dallas Cowboys for Christmas. Go figure, nearly eighteen years of knowing Jess and Jack still couldn't shop for his son. Jess took it graciously regardless, and made a note that he'd have to wear the ugly jersey at some point just to keep his dad happy. The Cowboys were, for whatever bizarre reason, Jack's favorite football team – even though they couldn't ever win anything.

His mom got him some nice clothes that he knew he would wear. At least she knew how to shop for him.

May Belle got him Tic Tacs and some cheap cologne. At first he was particularly bothered by her attempt at making a joke regarding his relationship with Leslie, but her gift ended up tame compared to what Brenda and Ellie gave him.

Apparently, his older sisters (who had joined them in North Carolina) had heard about Leslie. Jess imagined May Belle had to have gotten a hold of them, because he seriously doubted his parents would have been so forward. Even though Mary had made a few comments about the pair, she knew that they weren't anything more than friends.

There Jess was, in the midst of his family, when he pulled off the paper revealing a very crude game that was meant to be played with a romantic partner. Jess's face was beet red as he quickly pulled the paper back over the front of the game, giving a very good death glare to his older sisters, who couldn't stop laughing. His embarrassment was pure torture, especially with May Belle and Joyce Ann poking and prodding and trying to figure out why the gift had been so funny.

Fortunately, Jess got his revenge when Jack and Mary looked. The screams could be heard clearly from the living room, even though the parents had taken the two older girls upstairs and shut all the doors. Jess had to take May and Joyce outside to keep them from overhearing anything inappropriate.

The rest of the trip had been particularly uneventful. Jess did enjoy spending time with his older sisters a little bit more, now that they were out of the house. They were a lot less hostile, just…well, extremely inappropriate. But, at the very least Jess appreciated that they treated him like an adult. Whenever he spent time with Joyce and May, he felt like a kid. Of course, none of them compared to when he spent time with Leslie. She didn't have to humiliate him to have fun, or talk about makeup and boys. He felt smart when he talked to her.

He really needed to stop thinking about Leslie.

Jess couldn't, though. Ever since Christmas Eve, he had thought about her almost non-stop. While Jess had been fighting feelings for a while, it was like that night was a catalyst for them being in full force. And Jess wondered if maybe he'd go for it. His sisters sure thought he should.

The week away from Lark Creek was nice, but he was tired of being cramped in a house with his family. There were only three males in the house compared to the six females, and he was ostracized from his father so he really only had his grandfather to talk to.

So he did.

As weird as it was, Jess talked to Grandpa Al about a lot of things. His grandfather was a lot more understanding and sensitive to Jess. He told him about his art, and about Leslie. It was the first time Jess really talked to anyone about Leslie, in a more-than-passing way.

When Jess was explaining their friendship, his grandfather got this strange look on his face and smiled knowingly. Jess was kind of bothered by it, until his grandfather started talking and flat out told Jess that he needed to make some kind of a move. Jess then spent the next three hours learning about how his mother's parents met, and came to find that it was a similar story to his and Leslie's. Jess never really realized how much he missed out by not having a father and fatherly advice, until that moment. He felt closer to Grandpa Al than he ever did to his dad.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, it hurt. A lot.

But he wouldn't sweat it. He was far too engulfed in getting the "fatherly advice" he had missed out on his whole life from his grandpa. Needless to say, Jess was a lot more confident in himself when they left, and he was pretty sad that he couldn't stay longer. But, Al made it very clear that Jess could call him any time, which was a relief.

As planned, the family had left North Carolina a little early to get back to Lark Creek because of the snow. It felt like an eternity of misery for Jess to spend that much time in the car with his sisters. May Belle was chatting his ear off on one side, and Joyce Ann was still stuck on trying to convince Jess that Leslie wasn't really Leslie, which was extremely confusing.

Needless to say, when they pulled up to the house, Jess practically pushed May Belle out to get out of the car.

There was a lot of snow everywhere. That was how it usually was in Lark Creek for the winter break. It would snow off and on through January and part of February, too. But Jess didn't have time to think too much about the weather; it was noon, and he needed to go take a much-needed nap in his room before Leslie's party that evening.

The excitement and anxiety that came with the idea of seeing Leslie after a week of being away made it hard to wind down, but his lack of sleep due to being stuck in a car ultimately prevailed.

When he woke up seven hours later, he was quite refreshed. The party started in an hour, and Jess didn't take long to get ready. He had already warned his parents that it was likely he wouldn't come home until early in the morning. Well, by parents he meant mother. His dad didn't seem to care what he did, which was fine by him.

Jess walked to her house. It proved to be a smart decision too because there were a lot of cars parked outside, and he would have had to walk anyway.

Leslie had been the one to answer the door, and he instantly got a really good hug. If it wasn't so taxing to be away from home, he would have considered leaving more often. It was pretty clear she missed him, maybe as much as he had missed her.

When they finally separated, Jess made a mental note that Leslie looked amazing. She had on a tight black dress, and he had to look away to keep himself from staring.

The party was full of older people. Jess vaguely remembered that Leslie had said it was her parents' party and they were inviting friends of theirs from DC. They were all nice though, and seemed to like Jess well enough. There were a few people closer to his age, probably kids of some of the adults. Just as he was wondering, Leslie spoke up.

"Jess, these are some of the people I knew in DC." Her tone and lack of using the word "friends" made it pretty clear that Leslie wasn't a fan of the group of teenagers in front of them, and he could tell why.

There was a girl, he learned her name was Brooke. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen and had dark brown hair. She had on a dress that was made by some guy named Versace, who Jess found out later was actually a very expensive clothing brand. He could tell without pricing her entire outfit that she was extremely materialistic, and it made the conversation dull. All she wanted to talk about was what her Daddy bought her last and going to fashion week in Europe somewhere and the makeup she liked. It was like May Belle, if they had been rich.

There was a guy too, his name was Eric. He had this fake smile screwed in a little too tight and he also appeared to be sporting a very expensive outfit. If there had been a saving grace to him as far as his personality was concerned, Jess didn't look for it. He was too busy fuming at the guy who was making a blatant pass at his-er, at Leslie.

There was a younger boy who looked to be around twelve. He seemed to be completely out-of-place. At the very least, he had another young boy to play with.

Try as he might, Jess noted that Eric and Brooke were unrelenting at splitting Jess and Leslie up. He also didn't miss the scathing look Leslie sent Brooke, when she thought no one was looking. Two hours into the party and Jess was not having a very good time. It could have been because Eric kept trying to slip an arm around Leslie, which made Jess want to knock the guy's teeth out. Maybe.

He barely noticed that Brooke was vying desperately for his attention. He was so good at tuning out a conversation, thanks to May Belle.

After another half hour of mingling and only speaking to Leslie in fleeting moments, Jess was fed up. It was like she was suddenly avoiding him, completely uninterested in spending time together. "Excuse me," he interrupted whatever Brooke had been talking about and boldly walked over to where Leslie and Eric were.

"Hey, I need to talk to you. Oh, you're not busy? Good." He didn't allow any real time to answer, and there were a few times he had cut Eric off, but Jess didn't really care. He grabbed on to her forearm and quickly led Leslie away, who barely had time to throw a brief apology over her shoulder before she was being led to the room they had painted.

"You know, that was pretty rude," Leslie chastised as Jess shut the door, muffling the music and noise from the party.

Jess looked at her for a moment, shocked. "What, you can't honestly tell me you were having a good time with that clown." His tone had probably come out a little sharper than he had wanted it to, but Jess was frustrated – and Leslie's apathetic behavior towards him was really striking a nerve.

Apparently, Leslie had a hidden temper that was quick to flare. "I'm sorry, since when were you the one elected to determine if I'm having a good time or not?" Her sarcastic tone was duly noted, and Jess grimaced.

"Look, I'm not trying to make decisions for you or whatever you're implying. I was just trying to get you away from that creep. A 'thank you' would be appreciated. Last time you sure didn't mind." The jibe wasn't dismissed easily, and things were escalating at a rapid pace.

"Thank you? I'm still waiting for your apology of rudely interrupting my conversation with Eric and dragging me in here. I'm not some damsel in distress, I don't need rescuing. Besides, it looked like you were having a great time with Brooke anyway." There it was. That was why she had gotten so defensive. Jess took a moment, looking at her funny.

"You really think I was having a good time with that Barbie Wannabe?" His lack of anger caught Leslie off-guard.

"Well yeah, it sure looked like it from where I was." She was a little more insecure in this answer, and her voice had come down a few notches.

Jess snorted, hardly able to contain his laughter. "Les, it was like talking to an older, richer May Belle, if she was desperately trying to hit on me every five seconds. It was miserable."

That seemed to extinguish the flame in Leslie's fury. Her arms folded across her chest in a protective manner, and Jess could tell that she was unsure. "Why were you so harsh?"

"Leslie, I got back in town this morning. I haven't been able to see you or talk to you for a week. I was just so frustrated because it was like you didn't even care that I was here. Every time I tried to talk to you, you just went off with Eric. And I didn't like seeing that boy-band clone trying to make a move on you." He shrugged, finding the floor surprisingly interesting all of the sudden. Jess had been preparing to pour his heart and soul out to her that night, after his conversation with his grandpa. Now he felt like the only solution was to shrink back into his shell, if she was going to trample over his feelings without a care in the world.

He hadn't seen her move due to his sudden interest in the floor, so when she pulled him into a hug he had been quite surprised. "I'm so sorry Jess. I don't know what I was thinking. I was just…jealous. I thought you were having more fun with her and I felt the same way, about having not seen you and wanting to spend time with you, so I got angry." A few of the words were hard to make out because she had been speaking into his shoulder, but he got the general gist and wrapped his arms around her. "And I know it's extremely catty and I swear I'm not like this at all so I don't know why it happened."

"It's okay. I'm sorry too." They remained like that for a while. He rested his head on hers, quite relieved that things hadn't escalated any further. Jess didn't like fighting. He knew it was a part of any healthy relationship, friends or otherwise, but he really didn't like being angry – especially not at Leslie.

After a while they separated. "Well, we've got-" she paused, looking at the clock on the wall, "about ten minutes before the New Year," they both heard a crash on the other side of the door, followed by laughter, "and it sounds like a good portion of my parents' friends are pretty drunk already."

They both laughed, and Jess opened the door to the hallway. The music was louder, as was all the laughing and voices. "Hey, do you have a place on your roof where we could sit?"

Leslie furrowed her brows in thinking for a moment. "Um, I think so. Why?"

"I'll show you." They were walking out of the room then, heading toward the stairs. Eric and Brooke were a thing of the past; Jess didn't notice the pair watching them ascend the stairs with glares on their faces. He was too busy thinking about the fact that Leslie had boldly placed her hand in his, and how their fingers were laced.

They were in her room in no time, and Leslie let go to open the window. It looked like she was about to climb out, but she paused, before grabbing a jacket that was thrown on the back of her chair. Jess then remembered he hadn't even taken his coat off, and was glad it wasn't strewn somewhere downstairs. Trying to find it amidst the tipsy house guests would have been a nightmare.

Jess climbed out of the window first, and held a hand out for her to use for balance as she followed. There was a small ledge, and it was barely big enough for both of them. Leslie pointed up behind Jess, and he did his best to scale the sloped roof, seeing the larger flat surface a little ways above them.

He helped her keep her balance and they both sat down. "So, what are we doing up here exactly?" Leslie asked, turning to Jess.

Jess looked out over the forest."There's a lake, on the other side of the forest. I don't know who they are, but every year for like, the past ten years there's been a group of people who go out on the lake and launch fireworks at midnight on New Year." He felt something on his shoulder then, and realized just how close they were sitting. Her head was resting on his shoulder.

It took a moment for Jess to react. He had no idea what he was supposed to do in this kind of situation – probably because he hadn't ever been in it before. After a little bit, he carefully wound his arm around her. He was tentative at first until she relaxed into his arm, which made him more confident in his choice. The sound of the people downstairs got louder as they started counting down from twenty.

_Ten._ "I guess it's almost the new year." Her voice was quiet, and Jess gave a small nod.

_Nine._ They were quiet, and they still heard the countdown from below.

_Eight._ "I guess so," Jess responded back softly, still looking out over the lake.

_Seven._ A winter wind blew through, and he felt Leslie bury herself more into his side. His arm tightened around her.

_Six._ Jess had no idea if this was real right now. He had been so sure that it was going to be an act of Congress to tell Leslie how he felt, and yet here they were, on her roof, with his arm around her.

_Five._ His head rested on top of hers gently, and from that angle he could see a hint of a content smile on her face.

_Four._ It was as if time was in slow motion. Everyone was excitedly counting down below, completely unaware of the two younger guests' disappearance.

_Three._ "Hey Leslie?" Jess lifted his head.

_Two._ "Yeah, Jess?" Her head lifted as well, and she turned to look at him.

_One._ His eyes darted out across the forest, and they heard the first firework go off. There was a bright explosion of light in the sky. He could hear Leslie gasp softly.

There was a bunch of cheering below, and he could hear people all screaming Happy New Year to each other. "Happy New year." His voice was soft as he turned back to look at her, and she met his gaze with a small smile on her face.

The last conscious thing Jess remembered was that his lips were pressed against hers while the fireworks went off in the distance. He was kissing Leslie. And she was kissing back.

* * *

><p>The first thing Jess knew when he came to was that his head was ringing and it was way too bright in the room. He tightly shut his eyes, knowing he definitely wasn't about to open them again any time soon.<p>

It felt like someone had taken a hammer to his head. Repeatedly. As Jess attempted to recall what could have possibly happened to put him in such a predicament, he fought the pain that was overwhelming.

Oh. Maybe it had been the alcohol.

It had started off innocently. At least, that's what he remembered. They went back downstairs, and people started handing them stuff to try. First, it was the classic drink everyone had for New Years - champagne. That was mild enough. He had champagne before, for New Years. But he did remember taking a lot of sips from a lot of different drinks after that. He was pretty sure he tried both white and red wine, beer, a margarita cooler, and a straight shot of tequila. That one probably wasn't the best idea, but it happened after he lost the ability to make good decisions.

It wasn't as bad as the whiskey incident, in the sense of him not being over a toilet the whole night. But this nasty headache that refused to leave certainly wasn't a good alternative.

Jess attempted to pull the covers up over his eyes, but for whatever reason they wouldn't move. That was when something in his brain went off. The blankets didn't feel like his.

He went to move his arm to attempt to get himself up, and found it also stuck.

Finally, he decided he would just have to endure the brightness to figure out what exactly was going on. Slowly he cracked an eye open and was immediately met with the pain of the sun again. He blinked furiously in hopes of it allaying the pain, if only a little. Once his vision settled, Jess noticed that he was staring at a ceiling. One that definitely wasn't his.

His head felt like lead as he tried to move it. Very slowly he turned, trying to see what was preventing his arm from moving. Oh, it was Leslie.

Everything froze as the realization hit him.

Leslie. Beside him. Leslie was sleeping beside him.

_What the hell happened last night? _Jess's heart rate skyrocketed as he panicked. Carefully as to not disturb the sleeping Leslie (who was on his arm and curled into his side) he peeled back the blankets in fear. Relief flooded through him as he noted that they were both clothed. And he came to find that her arm was across his chest. How had this happened?

Right. He kissed Leslie. That probably started everything. The memory came back to him, and he couldn't help but grin. Pre-alcohol he had kissed Leslie, and she had kissed him back. He was also pretty sure they had kissed after the alcohol, but Jess didn't think that really counted.

_Shit._ What was Leslie going to think? What was she going to remember? And how was she going to feel about Jess afterward?

He didn't have much time to think about any good excuse to give her, because she stirred beside him. When her eyes opened he could tell her head hurt too, but she still looked surprised.

"Good morning." She said after a moment of processing. She didn't sound angry, or scared, or anything – mildly surprised that he was beside her, but nothing more.

"Uh, good morning," Jess said carefully, not really sure if he should say anything else.

Leslie looked around as much as her head would allow, before looking back at him. "So…what exactly happened?" She still didn't sound upset, which was good. If anything, she just sounded curious.

Jess was really grateful at that moment for Leslie's calm personality.

"I don't really know. I think we probably had a little too much alcohol. I didn't even realize it had been that much, but apparently…yeah." He averted her gaze, worried again. Was she going to blame him for her trying stuff? Was she going to freak out?

Leslie was quiet for a moment, which was unsettling. "Well, I guess it's safe to say we're both lightweights," she said after a long pause, laughing slightly.

Jess was shocked for a moment, before he laughed a little too. It had been true, after all. All things considered, neither of them had that much. Things were starting to come back to him. He remembered feeling really tired, and saying something about it. And then they went up the stairs and back into her room. A red tinge started to grow on his cheeks as a memory flooded back into his head of how they got into the current predicament. He sincerely hoped she wouldn't remember, for the sake of his embarrassment.

If she had remembered the events that happened after they were loaded, she didn't show it. Leslie attempted to roll on her back, wincing as she did so. "Why does it hurt so much?" to which Jess laughed a little at her childish whining tone.

"We need to drink water. That's what I've heard, at least. Hangovers mean you're really dehydrated." He carefully pulled his arm out from under her then, and made a very slow attempt to stand up. He was incredibly unstable on his feet, and had to catch his balance a few times. He looked over to Leslie, who also attempted to do the same, only she fell back on the bed with an "oof."

Jess laughed at her, which caused her to stick her tongue out at him. "Let's not refer to it as a hangover. That implies that we had a lot of alcohol." Leslie rubbed her head as she stood for the second time, not falling over.

"But…I mean that _is_ what happened," Jess responded plainly, confused.

"Yeah, I know that. But-I don't know. I don't like it, that makes me feel like I did something really bad." Jess couldn't help but laugh, and she glared at him.

"It's not that bad. People do worse things at our age. And I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in doing that again. Even without the constant vomiting, it's just not that fun." _Except for that part where you kissed Leslie. A lot. _He did his best to not listen to that voice in his head, but Jess had to admit, it was right. But, it made him feel guilty, like he took advantage of her or something. It would be better if she was fully coherent and in control of her own actions.

"I guess. I mean, I've had stuff with my parents before. Just apparently not quite that much." She walked to her closet and started rummaging through it. Some sweat pants and a t-shirt soon landed on her bed, and Jess laughed a little.

"At least we know we're not fun, you know? I mean we basically just passed out." Leslie had turned back around, and there was a small smile on her face. For a moment Jess wondered if she remembered, but he figured she would have been a lot more…well, awkward if she had.

She said nothing more and grabbed her clothes, before looking at him pointedly. "Ahem." Her voice startled him from his thoughts, and he realized she was waiting for him to exit her room so she could change.

"Oh, right, sorry. I'll just be…out here," he said awkwardly as he exited her bedroom and closed the door. That was when Jess noted that no one was awake, or at least he couldn't hear anything. The house was quiet, and Jess wondered if it was early.

Leslie opened the door a moment later, and he blinked a few times. She was really quick at changing. Probably from the locker rooms. He knew that improved his time. It was just plain weird to change in front of anyone.

They quietly walked downstairs and were greeted with an empty house. Leslie simply shrugged. "I guess everyone left. That's a little scary to think about, most of the people here were pretty drunk." Jess could only nod in response as they went in to the kitchen and got some water.

After drinking two glasses, Jess decided it would be best if he headed home. He didn't particularly want his parents worrying or coming to figure out why he hadn't come home yet, and he knew that even though he had told his mom he'd be coming home in the morning it was still not something he had initially planned on.

Leslie walked him out. Their departure was a hug, because Jess couldn't quite find the courage to kiss her again. Leslie didn't let him go without kissing his cheek though, which boosted his ego a little. Maybe his fear that she regretted it was just that – a fear. He knew he had to tell her how he felt, but Jess knew it would be best on a new day, when they weren't recovering from a lapse of judgment. When he could go home and get his courage up again.

It was definitely a New Years he wouldn't ever forget.


	15. Snow

AN: Hey guys! Been a while. I'm sorry for the delay, school has taken priority in life. And honestly, a while back some things came up which made me lose any interest in continuing for a long time.

That being said, I do have a few amendments to make to previous chapters – for some reason I got it stuck in my head that Jess and Leslie turned twelve during the duration of the novel/movie, so I've been going off the idea that they were twelve when she died and five years have passed, making them seventeen – seniors. However, being in the fifth grade would have made them ten to start, and turning eleven at some point during the school year. So, for the sake of this chapter forward, it can be assumed that they were, in fact, eleven, and six years have passed.

While I know most of you didn't seem to notice (or care) about a small flaw in my mathematical skills (there's a reason I didn't get my bachelors in math…) I will still be going back to revise the discrepancies.

* * *

><p>Leslie was quite certain she was living in a dream.<p>

Alright, so a dream wouldn't have had alcohol with – she hated this word – a hangover, but still.

Jess had kissed her. While Leslie had been wanting the affection for some time, she never would have thought he'd have gotten up the nerve to make a move. It sure was different, when she had been alive the last time.

Then again, Jess had also been eleven and convinced he was hopelessly in love with their music teacher. Times had changed.

In all honesty, Leslie didn't think she knew how deep their bond ran until post-partum. Even being a precocious eleven-year-old, she never thought of him as more than a best friend. That was all she was emotionally mature for, at the time.

Leslie would have liked to pretend that she knew it was coming. The Jess she had grown to know at eleven had eventually realized his feelings, which was, inevitably, what sent him down the path she had to stop. She remembered that moment, when she felt his heart breaking. He knew she was the one, and she was gone. It was one of the worst moments she could remember, far surpassing any physical pain she had ever experienced. The memory was a dull pain now, fading into oblivion as it ceased to exist in a viable timeline.

Once her world turned upside down and she came to know life in this alternate universe though, Leslie had absolutely no clue. Now it seemed like their bond could withstand the test of reality. Even though all his former memories of her had been removed, they still came back to the place she was so familiar with.

And now here she was, incapable of doing anything else besides think back to the night she had her first kiss.

It had been better than anything she could have ever imagined. She had confirmation then, that her feelings for Jess ran so much deeper than anything previously conceived as being on the surface. Some of it was influenced by the life she once lived, and feeling everything he felt. But a lot of it was new, and exciting, and a little scary.

Especially since she had woken up the following morning beside him, in her bed.

Leslie felt like she handled it calmly and quietly, even though her heartbeat would have easily contradicted that façade. She was freaking out. She feared she had made a very bad decision while being impaired, and it scared her to know she had allowed her judgment to lapse. Fortunately, all she recalled was a little (a lot) more kissing before they fell asleep. She couldn't let Jess know she remembered though. She knew he would sink back into his shell if he felt like she regretted anything.

What Leslie found to be the most exciting and terrifying thing was she didn't regret any of it.

Leslie didn't see Jess for a few days after that. Both families had been busy cleaning and the Burke household was determined to get more of their house finished. Leslie didn't mind helping; it made their stay that much more permanent, when they painted a room or added something to the house.

No one had yet to claim PT so the dog stayed. Her parents were now attached to him, even if they didn't want to admit it. He followed Leslie around a lot, and she was glad to have the dog back in her life.

Leslie took the time she had to herself to work on her room. It was a process that took a few days, since she had to remove things in stages to paint the walls. Once done though, the room reflected her vibrant personality – and her love for just about every color imaginable. Somehow Leslie managed to pull it off without it looking like a chaotic mess. Even her ceiling was decorated, something Leslie decided had to be done lest she wake up to a boring white ceiling every morning.

Winter break was short for students. They returned to school on the third of January, which meant that Leslie would be seeing Jess for the first time since the party in a public location. Initially she had been on cloud nine, but not communicating with him for a few days made her anxiety skyrocket. A bunch of what ifs filled her head, and Leslie struggled to keep herself from coming up with a bunch of potential situations that would inevitably end poorly for her.

On the freezing morning of January the third, Leslie could be found in the gym of their school, stretching. Giles had told them that "breaks were for wimps" and they were expected to run their usual hour-long path outside for the entire class period. It was a unique form of torture, making them endure the frigid temperatures early in the morning. Needless to say, the entire group was very careful to make sure all their muscles were properly stretched out. Even Hoager and Fulcher were stretching, something that Leslie was surprised by. Then again, no one wanted any pulled muscles.

There was, however, one body missing from the scene. The first bell had rung, and Jess was nowhere to be found. What was worse was Leslie found herself missing his presence immensely. It wasn't the same without him around. Naturally Leslie felt out of place – after all, she still remained as the only female in the class – but without Jess, she felt even more vulnerable.

They started the run, and she kept to the back of the pack of males, not interested in making friends with the rest of them. It seemed incredibly antisocial, but Leslie didn't really care. She'd much rather endure the silence of trailing behind them than be in front and listen to their jeers.

It was a challenge to fight off the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she questioned Jess's whereabouts. Could he possibly be avoiding her? That was one thought in particular that Leslie quickly cast aside. She'd cross that bridge if and when she got there. There was no point in working herself up for nothing. For all she knew, he could have had a doctor's appointment or some completely logical reason for missing school.

There was a faint noise coming from behind Leslie, and it sounded like someone running. Hadn't she been the last of the group to take off? Leslie was quite certain she had double checked that no one was trailing behind her earlier; after all, she hadn't wanted to communicate with anyone, and placing herself at the very end seemed like the easiest thing to do.

"I really hate the fact that Maybelle can't drive herself anywhere. It's like I'm her personal chauffer or something." His voice was instantly recognizable, and Leslie fought the smile of relief that threatened to show. Jess was jogging alongside her, and she could tell by his disheveled appearance that he hadn't had a smooth morning.

"What happened?" Leslie fought back a laugh as she noted the mismatched socks and grumpy demeanor.

"Oh, Maybelle forgot to tell me that she needed to be at school early this morning for some meeting or whatever. So she came in this morning and woke me up, and she was all panicked that she'd be late. I would have made it here on time, but when we got to her school she forgot a book and told me she would get in trouble if she didn't have it." Jess rolled his eyes, shrugging. "I probably should have let her learn her lesson the hard way, but I really didn't want to listen to her whining for the next week, so I went back and got it. Which made me late to school."

Leslie realized then that she had been silly to panic over something so insignificant.

The rest of the run was much better with Jess beside her, and the two immediately fell into the comfort of conversation. They both neglected to mention what had happened over the break.

They parted amicably when it was time to go to their respective classes for second period, but Leslie still felt doubt that Jess would ever address the party.

The whirlwind that was Physics class with Mr. Otman helped ease her mind. There was something refreshing about the class and Leslie never found herself in a dull moment. It helped immensely that she had friends in the class who were easy to talk to.

European History brought back the familiarity of talking to Jess. It was almost like the break hadn't happened at all, and they were simply resuming their friendship that had been established in the school. At least, that was until Leslie noticed Jess sneaking looks at her when he thought no one would notice.

She had to fight back the urge to grin for the duration of the class period.

Lunch came, and Leslie found herself beside Jess at their usual table. Whatever conversations occurred, Leslie paid little mind to them. She couldn't focus on anything besides the fact that Jess had stealthily grabbed her hand underneath the table.

English went by in an uneventful fashion, and then school was out for the day. Jess had to go to his usual job at the shop right after, but he didn't leave without walking Leslie to her car and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Leslie felt like a little girl, beaming for just about the rest of the night. Her parents neglected to ask what had gotten in to her, and Leslie had to wonder if they could tell. She didn't miss the knowing look they gave each other after asking her a simple question about her day.

The rest of the week, and the weeks following, went by in a similar fashion.

Jess was quite cautious in his advances, and even though Leslie wished he had a little more confidence, she appreciated his care to go slow – especially since they jumped the gun at the New Years party.

It was a Friday morning when Leslie got up with the intention of going to school, only to realize they had a snow day.

Lark Creek was not quick to close its schools. The area was quite used to dealing with nasty weather, as they often had very snowy winters and very rainy springs. The only factor that came into play was when the creek flooded over the roads and froze, which was exactly what had happened.

Needless to say, that Friday morning found Leslie dancing and singing around her kitchen as she made French toast for breakfast. While school was certainly something Leslie quite enjoyed, she welcomed the three-day weekend with open arms.

There was a loud rapping at the door. PT immediately jumped from his cozy place on the couch to bark at the person on the other side, and Leslie wondered briefly who would be on their doorstep in this weather – especially since she lived on the other side of the creek and it was impossible to drive to her neighborhood in the current conditions.

Her mother got to the door first, and Leslie peered around the corner as she heard a very familiar voice. "I'm sorry I stopped by without asking, but Maybelle was pulling out the makeup talking about needing to practice her skills, so I ran."

"No need to apologize Jess! You're always welcome in this house. Now, get that coat off and come warm up. I hope you're hungry, we're just about to eat breakfast." Leslie was grateful for her mother's hospitality at that moment. It was also then that she realized she was wearing some leggings, tall socks, and an oversized shirt, the outfit she had thrown on last night before bed. Before she could even entertain the idea of changing into a less-slobish outfit, Jess popped into the kitchen.

"Hey," he greeted breathlessly, and Leslie took notice of his flushed cheeks and erratic breathing pattern. He really had run all the way to her house in the snow, from the looks of it. May Belle must have been serious – a thought that was terrifying and incredibly humorous. Leslie imagined he'd resemble a drag queen if May Belle managed to put makeup on his face.

"Morning!" Leslie greeted back in an upbeat tone, flipping the bread in the pan. "French toast?"

His stomach growled before he could respond, which earned a sheepish look from Jess and laughter from Leslie. "I took off before eating. That would be great."

Shortly after, the Burke family along with Jess sat down at the table, surrounded by piles of French toast and an assortment of toppings to accompany the meal.

Jess was the first to take a bite. "Wow, this is amazing! I didn't know you could cook."

Leslie grinned in response, glad to know she hadn't messed up. Then again, it was kind of hard to mess up French toast. "I'm just full of surprises, I guess."

The meal passed by easily, with Jess fitting in to their conversations as if he had been a part of the family for years. Once they were all stuffed with French toast, the group broke up, and Leslie took on the task of cleaning up the mess she had made.

"Nice outfit," Jess's voice broke Leslie from her concentration, and she looked at him as he leaned against the doorframe. He was currently fixated on the colorful, striped socks that came up to her knees.

"If I had known you were coming over I would have put something decent on," she argued playfully, sticking out her tongue as she went back to cleaning the dishes.

Jess laughed at her response. "I'm kidding. You look good." The simple statement caused Leslie to fight back the heat that threatened to color her cheeks, and she smiled softly, focusing on the plates she was washing. Had she looked up, she would have noticed that Jess was looking at her, and probably more than he should have been.

"Look, it's snowing!" Leslie broke whatever trance Jess was in as she looked out the window that was over the kitchen sink. Of course, it seemed silly to get excited over snow. After all, it had been snowing off and on since December. Even still, the fence line was nearly impossible to see, and the snow was falling hard in flurries.

Jess, who had managed to work his way over to Leslie, was looking out the window with a confused expression. "Les, it's been snowing."

She paid him no mind though, and her face lit up. "Want to go outside?"

If there had been any apprehension in Jess's mind, it quickly melted away from the look of sheer joy that was currently plastered on Leslie's face. Leslie was, in many ways, a child at heart – and this was one of those moments.

"Uh, sure," Jess responded carefully, not really sure what had gotten in to her all of the sudden. That was all Leslie needed – she hurriedly finished the dishes before sprinting up to her room. Once there, Leslie carefully layered her clothes so that she wouldn't get too cold. All bundled and ready for the snow, she came back down.

"Come on!" Leslie barely managed to throw over her shoulder before she was out the front door and into the winter wonderland.

They might have had snow before, but they certainly hadn't had this much in Lark Creek. Leslie was sinking considerably with each step outside. On top of the struggle to walk, it was quite hard to see – and Leslie found that she didn't know the layout of her front yard as much as she thought she did.

She all but stumbled through her yard, unable to see the rock beds and stumps below the snow. The toes of her boots kept snagging on various undergrowth that lay covered in a white blanket, and she was cautious to pick her feet up to avoid tripping and falling. Fortunately, one glance behind her and Leslie was just able to make out Jess's form, struggling as well.

"I don't get why you ran out here in such a hurry. I mean it's just snow. We've had snow for the past month practically." Leslie could hear Jess grumbling from behind, but she knew (because she had seen the grin on his face) that he wasn't really complaining. She supposed it was just in his nature to be grumpy.

Leslie simply laughed in response, continuing her trek through the front yard. After she got out close to the street, she paused, looking around. Her arms went out and she began to spin around, completely caught up in the simple moment.

After she stopped spinning, she grinned at Jess. "It's exhilarating! Nature can be a beautiful thing."

Jess gave a chuckle, shaking his head. "Yeah, and it can be lethal too. I mean can you imagine if we had to drive in this? We'd be dead for sure."

It was said in a light-hearted manner, but Leslie hadn't paid much attention to the tone. She turned, looking out at the road that had iced over.

That was the epitome of nature, really. Beautiful but deadly. The winter wonderland that had completely covered Lark Creek was both stunning and dangerous.

So was the storm that had flooded the creek and drowned Leslie.

She hadn't thought about it in a long time. In that moment, when Leslie reflected on her absence of those thoughts, she quietly wondered if, perhaps, she had been slowly forgetting everything that had happened. It had been so long since she recalled something from the previous life she lived – or thought she lived – and Leslie had to question if she had possibly just dreamed the entire thing.

But in that moment, when everything came rushing back to her, she knew that she had some otherworldly experience that couldn't be written off as an elaborate dream.

The second passed, and she quickly blinked off the dazed expression, returning to the smile. She couldn't let it plague her thoughts. "Good thing they made the sensible decision to call off school then!"

And without a second thought, in one quick motion Leslie scooped up some snow and threw it directly at an unsuspecting Jess Aarons, who took a nice hit to the chest.

He stood there, shocked for a moment. Leslie knew her attack had been a total surprise. It didn't take long though, before he quickly fired a counter-attack. And that was how the snowball war commenced.

By the end of it, they had both made themselves nice little forts and a stash of ammo. Both had taken numerous hits, something that could easily be seen by the particles of snow and water that covered their clothes. At that point, the pair agreed through breathless laughs that they ought to go inside due to the cold.

Thankfully, Mr. Burke had started a fire at some point in the fireplace, so the two were able to peel off their many layers of clothing without getting too chilled. They both settled in by the fire, and Mrs. Burke brought out two mugs of hot chocolate.

It was nearing lunch time, and Leslie was quite grateful that her mother had prepared sandwiches. It was an easy meal they could eat in front of the fire, seeing as her parents were suspiciously sparse around the house. Every once in a while one of them would come through, but they would leave as quickly as they arrived. Clearly, they were keen on giving Jess and Leslie time "alone" together. Leslie didn't know whether to be irritated or thankful. So she settled on being a little of both.

The entire afternoon was spent talking about nothing and everything. Leslie probably wouldn't be able to recall most of their conversations the next day, but she knew they were good. They were enjoying each other's company and having fun, not caring about anything else.

They did watch movies later on in the afternoon. Leslie, although an advocate for books, was rather glad that her parents had joined the twenty-first century and gotten a television.

At some point Jess ended up with Leslie's favorite fuzzy blanket. Leslie, being cold, attempted to steal it from him. Jess, however, simply rolled up (Leslie compared him to "a burrito") and was successful in keeping it away from her. After a good ten-minute struggle, Leslie gave up with a melodramatic sigh.

That was when Jess silently moved closer to her and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders.

They remained that way for a good while. Her head ended up on his shoulder, and his arm had become quite comfortable wrapped around her.

When Jess had to leave, Leslie felt an odd coldness overtake her. She wrote it off as being the absence of his body heat next to her – after all, they had been in that position for quite some time. But a part of her knew that it was more than that. She was getting attached, something she really didn't want to admit.

Despite the cold, Leslie walked back outside with him to send him off. The flurries had started again, and the wind was chilling.

"Well. I guess I'll see you Monday."

Jess was always awkward at parting words, and Leslie laughed quietly to herself, smiling anyway. "See you Monday."

Leslie was aware that Jess had moved closer. She was prepared for the typical embrace they had gotten accustomed to in parting, so when his hand moved up to her face instead of behind to her back, she was caught off-guard.

Quietly he brushed back some of her hair that had been blown into her face, tucking it gently behind her ear. His hand didn't retract immediately though, and timidly settled on her cheek. Leslie could see the contemplation in his eyes for merely a second before he leaned in, kissing her fully on the lips.

Leslie faintly remembered going back into her house and up to her room, a dream-like expression plastered on her face. Had she not been so dazed, she might have noticed her parents share another all-knowing look before going up to bed.


End file.
